


Crossing Paths

by The_Golden_Trashcan_TM



Category: Dimension 20, Fantasy High
Genre: Might Get Sad, but on brennan's head be it it's gonna get something, i have no solid plans but fuck it, it might get weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:56:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 36,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23778760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Golden_Trashcan_TM/pseuds/The_Golden_Trashcan_TM
Summary: Ayda’s world turned upside down in the span of a day.With her internship at the Cross Points Public Library, absent mind but ever-present father, nothing feels out of place. That is until she finds a journal in the library she can’t read and soon after a wild assortment of kids come in, asking for her help.Together they work together to figure out their dreams, the journals, and whether they can figure out a way to help their otherworldly counterparts get back home.
Comments: 35
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

Ayda awoke to a searing pain in her head, the images of her dream lingering at the edges of her consciousness. She grimaced as sunlight fell over her face and rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. The throbbing slowly began to cease and she started to sink back into sleep. At last, she would finally be able to sleep without her brain trying to escape her skull.

“Ayda!” Her door flew open as her father let himself in. “Get up, you know you have to get to the library early.”

She stayed still, letting the words turn over in her head as she bolted upright. “My apologies. It escaped me.”

“Well, don’t let it keep you.” He turned and left, letting her scramble out of bed. It was amazing she had forgotten that her internship started today. The Cross Points Public Library was generous enough to allow her to have an internship there despite not usually doing so. Not that anyone said it, or really needed to say it, but she knew that it was in part her father’s influence that allowed her to do so. The name Arthur Aguefort was well-known throughout most academic circles given his profound research in astrophysics. He was a pioneer in his field and helped fill several shelves in the library and helped build it up.

Still, Ayda knew that it was her own merit and intelligence that helped endear her to the head librarian. Rawlins, an old man who barely left the front desk, had been kind enough to endure her father’s eccentricities when he asked for her to intern there. She could only hope he understood that she was much different.

She held onto that hope and she wrenched the door open, straightening her shirt and picking up her boots before hustling to the kitchen.

Her father was messing around with the coffee maker, trying to place his mug directly under the drip instead of the coffee pot. She knew enough to leave him be and went to the fridge instead, looking for the packed lunch Garthy left. They’d been over yesterday to keep Ayda company while Arthur was out doing… well, she didn’t know. He was often going places without telling her and she knew it wouldn’t do much to ask him about it. Before they left, they packed her a lunch and wished her luck.

Ayda grabbed the bag, grateful that they had stopped by, knowing she would have just gone without food. “Father?”

Arthur turned, picking up his coffee mug, not caring as the coffee burner sizzled. “Hmm?”

“I’m ready to leave now.”

“Right!” He unplugged the coffee maker and moved it quickly to the sink, some of the water splashing out of the back. “Let’s go, shall we?”

As they approached the car, Ayda clutched the keys in hand. At sixteen when she was old enough to take her driver’s test, she jumped at the opportunity. After years of being subjected to Arthur’s horrid driving skills, she took the reins and never let him drive her anywhere if she could help it. Ayda could distinctly remember being late for school one day because he “couldn’t be assed to remember the way” and got them both lost.

It didn’t help that he wouldn’t listen when she told him where to go.

On the way, he chatted about his latest discovery. “It seems that the multi-universe theory is correct! Could you imagine, dear Ayda? A universe where I was never born? Or one where you have long hair? Or one where you missed this turn and had to reroute to the library?”

“Do you think there’s a universe where…” She hesitated but pressed forward. “One where my mother is alive?”

“Oh absolutely!” He paused, and while she didn’t take her eyes off the road, she could tell he was rubbing his hands together—something he did when he was about to say something serious. “Ayda, you know that if you have any questions about your mother, you can ask me.”

She gripped the steering wheel, struggling to keep her eyes on the road. “I-I know. I just… was wondering. About the multi-universe theory.”

“It’s quite interesting, really,” he said, going back to his cheerful cadence as they spent the rest of the drive talking back and forth about the potential universes.

Ayda hadn’t exactly meant for that question to come up. Of course, she was always curious about her mother and who she had been and why no one really talked about her. But still, there was no real reason to bring it up, except… well, she didn’t want to think about her dream too hard right before going to the library. There would be time for that after she got through her first day.

Ayda pulled into the parking lot, taking a deep breath as she put the car into park. It would be simple. She spent plenty of time in the library and knew enough to not be lost. Easy. Simple.

“Rawlins said I should be done today by 3 PM.” She got out of the car, looking at Arthur over the roof. “Will you be here by 3 PM or do I need to call someone?”

He shrugged. “If I don’t contact you by noon, just call someone. Or don’t.”

“Okay.” She shouldered her backpack. “Be safe on your way to work.”

“I will do no such thing,” he said, making his way to the driver’s side. “Danger is fun! Really builds character to go on an adventure.”

“At your age, it does nothing but risk your life and worry me.”

He laughed, thinking she was joking. Or, at least, not caring that she was being serious. “I’ll be on my way. Have fun!”

She waved goodbye, turning to face the mountain of a building. It wasn’t just that it had been around for centuries, it was more that each new owner added more extensions to the place when they felt like it needed that particular section. It fascinated her that one family had dedicated themselves to such an intense gathering of knowledge.

She smiled to herself, excitement coursing through her and she bounced on her toes. It would be a good summer. She would be surrounded by books and perhaps it would be a little lonely, but she would make it a good summer. And maybe, if she were lucky, people her age would stop by. And if she were luckier, they would even like to be her friends.

With that in mind, she took her first steps toward her internship, jittery with hope.


	2. Chapter 2

Rawlins was moving slow. A snail’s pace, as Garthy might have been inclined to say. Given that it was her first day, she hadn’t expected much in the way of helping out—and as she followed Rawlins around as he did his work, her expectations were met. It was tedious work she knew well, having spent a great deal of time here during her senior year. She hadn’t done it herself, but most of the librarians had taken the time to answer her questions about organization and the like.

Later she realized they had been using her constant questioning as a reason to slack off.

“Ayda.” Rawlins turned to her, straightening to look her in the eye. “Do you plan on staying here long?”

She felt the hairs on her neck stand up straight and she took a small step back. There was something very odd about the way he was holding himself, almost as if he was not the frail old man he portrayed himself to be. She cleared her throat. “I plan on staying here until three o’clock.”

“No, I mean are you planning on staying at this internship long?”

“As long as I’ll be allowed to stay.”

He nodded, slouching slightly again as he started to lead her back to the front, the weird feeling building in Ayda’s stomach subsiding. “That’s good to hear. I don’t have many librarians around anymore. It would be nice to have a young and lively person around here.”

“There were other librarians last time I was here.”

“Oh, sure. They’re gone now. Quit just last week, though I’m not sure why.”

“I see.” Ayda paused, shifting to peak around him. “I would be happy to do whatever work I can here.”

“Thank you, Ayda. Will you take care of this?” He gestured to the book cart. “I know you know how the library works.”

“I do. I’ll take care of this right away.” He smiled, shuffling off to his desk as she took the cart and set to work.

It took more time than it should have to find the books back to their homes. The cart was filled with more than should have been allowed and she had to move slow for fear of toppling it. Though she was grateful to be able to tour the place again. From the main front area branched a series of hallways and stairs. Downstairs toward the front was for non-fiction math and science. A few of her father’s books found their place on the shelves there. On the opposite side were non-fiction history books.

Up two sets of stairs, she found herself on the highest floor, home to most fiction titles. She drifted through the aisles, looking through all the books she had yet to read. From the far right of science fiction to the far left of westerns—one day she wanted to have read them all. Or at least, be able to know about them to inform patrons.

It was a calming sort of monotony as she weaved in and out of the shelves, trekked to the different floors, and memorized the most efficient way to get to each section. Noon had come by the time she was on the last book and Rawlins was calling her name from the stairs.

“Yes?”

“Have you eaten yet? I’m ordering sandwiches, would you like one?”

“No, I brought my lunch.”

“Alright then. Be careful down there it.” His footsteps receded leaving Ayda to look more carefully at the last book. It was a leather-bound journal written to full by someone named Daya Gauofret. The only problem was that it didn’t have the library’s stamp or barcodes to be sorted by. She flipped through the pages, trying to catch some sense of where it belonged. The words blurred by and for some reason she couldn’t focus on them. She started to sway and grabbed the bookshelf to steady herself, but the swaying didn’t stop. Her head felt like it was splitting with pain and her dream from that morning danced at the edges of her vision. She dropped the book, falling to her knees, forehead scraping the ground.

It felt like a lifetime was passing as she knelt, breathing slowly in and out trying to regain her equilibrium.

Once she was sure she wouldn’t fall over again, she stood slowly, squinting at the bright fluorescents. Looking down at the journal, she was tempted to open it again. It didn’t make sense for her to have gotten so dizzy so quickly. She hadn’t eaten yet, sure, but there was no reasonable explanation for it. She studied the cover of it, though it was as plain as the first time she looked. On the back was more of the same, except on the bottom was a small pair of wings that had been impressed into the leather and a small guitar that had been scratched on next to it. Strange.

Instead of opening it again, she kept it as she walked up the stairs in search of Rawlins. Predictably, he was in the breakroom, eating lunch.

He grinned as she entered. “So, you’ve decided to join me?”

“I—” She paused, thinking about her dizziness before. “Yes, I will. I also had a question about this book.” She set the journal in front of him as she moved to the fridge for her lunch. “I can’t find a barcode for it.”

“Well, what have we here?” He picked it up as she sat, examining it before flipping it open to a random page. “It’s a hand-written journal from about fifty years ago. I remember when we got this—it was dropped off by a large man in a nice suit. He’s was truly a large man, I’ll tell you. It’s autobiographical so it’ll go to non-fiction.” He set it down, going back to his sandwich. “I never put a stamp or barcode on it because I didn’t want to ruin it. That one doesn’t leave the library.”

“I see.” She stared down at her lunch (a sandwich, bag of chips, and a water bottle) then looked at the book again. “Are there any other book carts for me to do?”

“Hmm? Oh, sure. Just come by the front after we eat.” He settled back into his food, almost entirely checked out. They sat in silence, every so often her gaze coming back to the journal. It was strange, but that was no reason to believe it had correlated with her headache and dizzy spell. Rawlins had handled it just fine and even looked bored while skimming the pages. Still, she couldn’t shake the distinct feeling it was important in some way. It felt important.

She bit into her sandwich, squinting again at the bright fluorescents, and putting the journal into a chair out of her sight.

Food should be eaten uninterrupted, even by her own wayward thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Ayda was settling easily into her role in the library. It was a nice change of pace from the beginning of the summer where she sat at home, researching anything that came to mind or rereading her favorite books.

It wasn’t all her fault, but that was the price for having most significant people in her life be busy adults. Garthy had the Golden Gardens (though Ayda was never allowed to go there) and her father had his summer University work. Having been raised by adults with little interaction with children her own age had given her a disadvantage when she started schooling. That disadvantage hadn’t lessened with age, but she learned to make peace with it.

At Cross Points, she ran into a lot of different people who were happy to talk to her. Some expressed their discontent with her bluntness while others laughed and smiled in the face of it. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but it helped to curb her loneliness.

Most of her job consisted of putting books back on the shelves, but every day Garthy would stop by with more energy that Ayda knew what to do with and asked about her day.

“It’s more of the same. I put the books back. I help people find what they’re looking for.”

“Sounds like it’s right up your alley.” They sat on the table, leg swinging lazily as they cut a peach. “What do you do when you’re not putting books back or helping the masses?”

Ayda smiled, taking a slice. “Rawlins said I was allowed to look at any book I like so long as I put it back or properly check it out.”

“That’s nice of him. If I remember from my time there, he never really leaves that desk, does he?”

“No. You worked there?”

They laughed, handing her another slice. “When I was your age, sure. Your mother would take me there and have me help with her research. Made quite a bit of trouble for Rawlins.”

Ayda felt like her heart was constricting as she swallowed hard, frantically tapping her toes. “My mother took you there?”

Their smile softened as they slid from the table and took a seat next to her. “All the time for her research. Your mother was the most brilliant woman I’d ever had the courtesy of knowing. She even had the power to make your father accountable.”

Ayda’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Oh, of course, love. There was no one quite like her.” Their phone buzzing cut them off, earning a small frown as they looked. Garthy sighed, standing. “I’ve got to go now, dear. I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you. Tell your father I said hello.” With a hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek, Garthy swept out of the house.

Three weeks into the internship she had gotten used to the routine. Wake up, drive to Compass Points, work for four to eight hours, come home to Garthy (and to a lesser extent Arthur), eat, go to bed. She had days off, of course, but she still got up early and did any work Arthur would ask her to help with. Despite his absent-mindedness, he had his moments of incredible attentiveness.

The only thing that ever broke that monotony was the journal that she passed almost every day. She still hadn’t picked it back up or opened it. She had given up on pretending she didn’t believe it was the catalyst for her headache and dizzy spell her first day. She always looked but never touched it, psyching herself up for it next time she passed by. Eventually, she stopped thinking about it, knowing that there wasn’t really a way she could read the contents.

That is until she got some of the rowdiest people in the library as it was about to close.

They were attention attracting—and not just because they were loud. They were truly some of the oddest assortment of people she had ever seen together. Leading the charge was the shortest one of them, an anxious-looking Hispanic boy with a floppy cap over his hair freckles splattered over his cheeks. He was talking hurriedly to the pale, blonde girl next to him. She was nervously fiddling with a spherical crystal on her necklace. Clustered in a group of four behind them was a tall, Asian man with a white streak in his hair, a redheaded girl half a foot short than him, a boy with pale grey hair a few inches shorter than him, and a girl a little shorter than the redhead with a messy braid and punk clothes. They would have been hard to ignore even without their noise.

Rawlins was frowning as they all crowded the front desk, their questions lost in the sea of their voices. Ayda watched from a distance by the romance section, wondering why she had never seen them before. They all looked to be around her age, maybe a little younger. And if they were at the Cross Points Public Library, they should have gone to Leviathan High School. Perhaps they were from out of town. Whatever the case, it wasn’t her business right now. She had an entire cart full of romance novels she needed to shelve.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw them disband, going off in groups. The two nervous ones booked it down the stairs while the tallest one went toward the friendship section on the main floor. The grey-haired kid stayed near the front, settling in one of the chairs and pulling out his phone. She caught a glimpse of a scar on his right cheek. The redheaded girl and punk girl were also headed downstairs but at a slower pace.

Ayda moved out of their way, vaguely thinking about the other books she needed put away. She’d need to go upstairs for fantasy and a few of the sci-fi books. Then downstairs for math and autobiographies, with quite a few self-help books here on the main floor. If she planned it right, she wouldn’t have to make any more trips than—

_Daya Gauofret._

Ayda whipped her cart around, shoving it quickly toward the elevator, startling the two girls. If any of them picked up the journal and had the same reaction she did…

The elevator didn’t move fast enough and when the doors opened, the blonde girl was hunched over, clutching her head and shaking while the little one hovered over her worriedly. Ayda took a few short strides and snatched up the book laid open in front of her. All at once she stopped shaking and leaned heavily against her friend.

“What the hell was that?” he demanded.

“I… I don’t know.” She leaned against the bookshelf, clutching the book. “It’s done that before. To me. I don’t know why.”

“Why do you keep it in the library then?”

The thumping of footsteps cut her off as the two girls rushed down the stairs. “What ha— Adaine!” They rushed over, kneeling next to her as the boy continued to stare at Ayda.

“It’s— I don’t know. It was donated a few years ago and it doesn’t leave the library. What’s happening to your friend also happened to me. I tried to read it then I got dizzy and my head started to hurt so badly I couldn’t stand up.”

“And you didn’t do anything about it?”

“I thought it was just me. Rawlins could read it just fine.”

“Riz, what are you guys talking about?” The punk girl was looking at her in anger. “What happened to Adaine?”

“It was this book.” Ayda held up the journal. “She tried to read it and then she couldn’t.”

The two looked at Riz. He sighed. “It’s like she said.”

The redheaded girl stood heading toward the stairs. “I’m gonna go get Fabian and Gorgug.”

Adaine began to stir, slowly sitting up, squinting at the light. She blinked, looking first at Riz and then at Ayda. “Thank you for taking that book away.”

“You’re welcome. I know the pain it causes is quite terrible.” There was a paused and Ayda knelt down next to them. “I’m Ayda Aguefort.”

“Adaine Abernant.” She held out her hand and for a moment Ayda hesitated but shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, and I would like to exchange pleasantries, but that journal… Is there any way we could check it out?”

“It’s one of the few books that cannot be checked out. Perhaps if you checked with Rawlins at the front—”

“Attention all patrons,” Rawlins’ voice rang out from the speakers, startling them into looking up. The rest of their group all came down as he continued. “The library closes in ten minutes. Make your last-minute decisions and exit the building. Ten minutes.”

“Damn,” Riz said. “I knew we should have come earlier.”

Adaine frowned, then looked at Ayda. “Will you be here tomorrow?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You work here so you know the library. And I’m interested in the other books that can’t be checked out.” She stood on shaky legs and used Riz to stabilize herself. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”

The tall one with a scar looked confused as Adaine leaned on Riz, walking toward the stairs. “What the hell just happened?”

Adaine just waved her hand dismissively. “We’ll tell you on the way.” She turned, smiling at Ayda. “See you tomorrow.”


	4. Chapter 4

Ayda laid awake, wondering why she had avoided letting Garthy know the truth. She hadn’t lied to them. She never lied. She did, however, not tell them the whole truth. Just that loud teenagers had come to the library right as it was closing. They had laughed and joked that she should steer clear of them. “They’re probably a bunch of bad kids,” Garthy laughed, hopping off the table. “I’m joking, love, I’m sure they perfectly fine. Don’t be afraid to talk to them if you want to.”

“They seem… normal. And I can’t always be sure that what I say or do is normal.”

“Oh, love,” they said, flipping their dreads over their shoulder. “There no way to really know if what you say or do is normal, but it’s not just you. Everyone is worried about if what they’re doing is normal. You just have to be yourself and if you’re really worried about it, take cues from someone you like.”

They left after that, leaving Ayda to cook dinner for herself and Arthur. After an hour of waiting, she left him a plate in the microwave and went to her room. She had planned to sleep early so she could have enough energy for tomorrow, whatever it might bring. Instead, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

It wasn’t that she was nervous about meeting the other kids. In fact, she was excited. It would be nice to talk to other people her age. In school most people avoided her, saying she was “weird and hard to talk to”. She did her best not to talk as much after that. No, it actually wasn’t the kids. She was nervous about the journal. Not only did it incapacitate her, she learned nothing from the experience other than it was painful to try to read. And for them to come back to it, determined to figure it out… she couldn’t imagine why they were after it.

The next morning, she walked to the library doors with heavy bags under her eyes, ready to call Rawlins to let her in. Before she could get to her phone, she saw a note on the door.

_Ayda_

_Sorry for the short notice, but the library has been closed for the day. I will be back tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy your day off!_

_\- Rawlins_

She stared at the note, irritated and squinting. It didn’t make any sense to have the library suddenly closed. As far as anyone knew, Rawlins didn’t do much outside of running the library.

Behind her, a van rounded the corner into the parking lot, parking as close to the door as possible. All six of the kids she’d seen spilled out of the van, with two new additions (another tall man and a short girl with messy hair) surprised to see Ayda standing at the door.

Adaine shaded her eyes from the sun and said, “Are we too early?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. The library is closed.”

“Really?” Her shoulders sagged in disappointment. “We came all the back for nothing. Do you know when it’ll be open?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

“Really?” Riz perked up, turning back to the van and grabbing his backpack. “Ayda, how do you feel about breaking and entering?”

“Ooh yes,” The punk girl clapped her hands, grinning. “I love it when we do illegal stuff.”

“Oh, hell yeah.” The new tall one grinned. “Do you need me to stand watch?”

“I don’t feel comfortable with illegal activity.” Then she paused, thinking about Garthy and how whatever it was they did was probably very illegal. “Let me rephrase I am not comfortable with most illegal activity. Why are you all so interested in the journal?”

They were all quiet for a moment, exchanging looks then the tallest one piped up saying, “We’re not gonna get inside if we don’t tell her.”

“Yeah,” the redhead said. “There were letters that we found under Fabian’s house. We were just goofing around and there was a box hidden underneath a bunch of crap. Anyway, all these letters were addressed to us. There was a lot of weirdly specific stuff in them. Like how me and Tracker—”

“Babe, not that,” Tracker cut in. “It was weird, so we asked his parents about it and they both said the pages were blank. No one but us could see them.”

“And if we tried to read each other’s letters they wouldn’t make any sense. It would be a jumble of words. And the only correlation any of them had was the Cross Points Library. So, we’re here to see if we can figure this out.”

“I see.” Ayda crossed her arms, quietly processing what they said. Much like the journal, what they said shouldn’t have been possible. And yet they were here, at a library in the middle of summer when they all (well, most) looked like they wouldn’t go near a library if they had a choice.

“Do you not believe us?”

“I do. I’ll overlook this transgression if you all introduce yourselves to me.”

They all stared for a moment before one by one looking a little embarrassed. Adaine smiled a little before pointing to each of her friends, “Tracker, Kristen, Riz, Gorgug, Fabian, Fig, and Ragh.”

“I’m Ayda. There are cameras pointed at this door. Follow me to the back.”

“So, Ayda,” Adaine said, doubling her pace to keep up with Ayda. “How long have you been working here?”

“A little under a month. I work an internship so I’m technically not employed here.”

“Tell me you’re at least getting paid.”

“I am. I won’t work for free even if it’s work I enjoy. Equal exchange is important.”

“Hmm. Then our names were equal exchange for letting us break in?”

“Yes, I don’t know very many people my age and I’m also curious about the journal.” They stopped at the back of the building, less grand that the front and no cameras to catch what they were about to do. Ayda squatted down, feeling along the stone for a familiar carving. Almost at the bottom, she pressed in on the one she’d carved an ‘A’ on and it came out of its place, leaving a perfectly size hole for her to pull the trick door open.

Riz looked far too excited as he picked up the stone and started to examine it. “How did you know about this?”

“Last year I spent almost all of my free time here.” She held her hand out and he gently gave her the brick. “A great deal of that time was spent wandering.”

They all shuffled in, watching their head on the low entrance and into the sublevel of the library. The door let out in the boiler room which was near inaccessible to people who didn’t know that the bookshelves on the far right didn’t touch the walls. Ayda wasn’t normally allowed in here for obvious reasons, but Rawlins had shown her just in case.

The room was as messy as the first time she had seen it. Boxes were haphazardly stacked against the far wall and an old workbench was shoved off to the right.

“Hey,” Fabian said, moving toward the pile of boxes. “This is the exact same box we found our letters in. The _exact_ same.” He shifted the boxes on top and pulled out a small wooden chest with the same set of wings on the journal burned onto the top. Next to it, carved roughly, was a bass guitar.

“It’s locked,” Riz said, swinging his backpack off. “I’ll open it.”

“I’ll go get the books. Both of them are down here with us.” Ayda moved away from their group to the door. There was just enough space between the bookshelf and the wall that the door wouldn’t hit it. She grabbed Daya’s journal easily, always remembering where it was. The second book was a little harder to find. Not that she didn’t know where it was, but every time she looked in that direction, she found herself looking elsewhere.

“Ayda!” Adaine popped out from behind the bookshelf, looking a little surprised. “I wanted to see where they were. The books.”

“Alright.”

“So… do you always spend your time here?”

“No. When I’m not here, I’m at home or helping my father with his research.”

“That sounds fun. Listen, I don’t have many… bookish people in my life.”

“Why? Are you hard to be around?”

“Uh, no, I— No? Are _you_ hard to be around?”

“Yes. I’ve been told that many times.”

“Oh. Do you want a friend?”

They stopped in front of the shelf and Ayda turned to face Adaine. She looked sincere, fiddling with her crystal necklace. “Desperately.”

“I’ll be your friend. Would you like to hold my frog?” From her bag, she produced a small, plush frog. It was as spherical as one could make a frog without it being unrecognizable. It was cuter than it had any reason to be.

“I don’t take presents. I have nothing to give in exchange.”

“It’s not a present. I need Boggy.” She held him out and slowly Ayda took the plush. He was soft and Ayda felt calmer holding him.

“Magnificent.” Ayda gave him back and turned to the shelf, one her eyes had been scampering away from. In the very back of the autobiography section was the second book, but this one was three composition notebooks glued together—there was really no reason it belonged there other than Rawlins told her it did. Messily written on the front was the name Fathe.

Adaine blinked hard, her gaze skittering toward the ceiling. “Why is that so hard to look at?”

“I do not know.” Ayda frowned, trying to keep her gaze pinned to the name. It looked… wrong. Like it was missing something and she couldn’t place what.

“Adaine! Ayda!” Kristen’s voice called out from the other side. “We got the box open!”

“Maybe someone else will be able to look at it.”

Back in the boiler room, they were all crowding around the box, looking at a bundle of papers along with a few pictures. The pictures were blurry, but not in a way that would indicate whoever was taking them had been bad at it. No, the pictures were just blurry to her eyes as if they were out of focus.

Riz help up a bundle of papers, examining the box. “Here’s your letter. No one but you can read it. And maybe Adaine depending.”

“Adaine?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know why, but I’m the only one who can sort of read everyone else’s letters. I can’t make out much, but I did make out enough to get us here.”

“Impressive.” Ayda unfolded the papers and felt… odd. Like something in her shifted out of place and back. Not like the journal, but almost a feeling of nostalgia.

She picked one of the boxes and settled down to read her letter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is written in the first person but only because it's a letter. And it's short so you won't have to endure it for long

This is odd, to say the least. Normally when I write like this, I am giving my next iteration advice and knowledge I wish to be passed down. I have written down start charts and knowledge I have pioneered and of adventures I have been on. All for someone who would take my place in this library.

But now I am writing this for me. Because you _are_ me. You are the version of me from a different universe. One where your world hasn’t been destroyed. And I’m sorry to be doing this to you. We all are. I don’t have much time to explain who I am in full, but I will tell you we have hidden our life’s journals and only you will be able to read them. It will take a moment and you will not be able to read it before you read this letter. If you try then… I’m sorry. It will not be pleasant.

As for the reason I am writing this letter, it is quite simple. Our world as we know it is ending. The Nine Hells have risen up under the rule of Kalvaxus to snuff out the material plane. Arthur Aguefort, in all his power, only found one way to save us from him in the short amount of time we had left. He has moved our bodies to your world and our consciousnesses to our respective counterparts. Our minds would be buried deeply in yours, only being stirred by reading these letters or deep in dream.

It is not pleasant for us to do this to you all. I know you all have your own lives and wants and wishes. It won’t be pleasant for any of us. I only ask that when you read this, you will help us.

Our world was taken over by hell. That is to say, they pulled our plane of existence into theirs, the two colliding and creating something new and wrong. With the math I did and Adaine’s vision I can be sure that it’s unhabitable to any creature that once graced the surface of either plane. Under normal circumstances, my father would have used chronomancy to go back and stop him, but his watch was stolen expressly to prevent that from happening.

The ask we have of you is large and I can’t guarantee your safety. But if you were to find Kalvaxus and steal the pocket watch back, we could potentially fix the end of our world. And if you are able to steal this watch, get back to our bodies as soon as you can. I don’t know where my father hid them as a safety precaution, but there should be a clue left along with this letter. You will feel as if you are being pulled if you are in the right place. Do not wake us first. We are not made to survive in this environment and will be too weak to help if things do not go well.

It is a lot to ask and even more to believe, but for all of our sakes, please help us.

_Ayda Aguefort_

\---

P.S. This is Fig. Find me in that new world and give me some lovin’. Just go to town and woo the hell out of me. I already know I’m gonna need it.

Love ya, girl!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna start staggering out posts to every Friday so I have more time to write hope that doesn't throw anyone off too much

Ayda stared at the papers in her hands, shuffling through them to make sure there was nothing she was missing, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The other Ayda was right: it was a lot to take in.

The odd thing was, she believed the letter. She believed it the same way she believes the sky was blue and the grass is green. Simple indisputable facts and she knew that that was why the rest of them were here. Because they believed their letters and understood that this was bigger than them. And even if they were simply curious or wanted their headspace back, they believed. That was the oddest part of all.

“What did each of your letters say? Specifically, did it mention the bodies?”

There was a light pause before Fig snickered. “I love the way you said that. And yes, we know about the bodies. Riz was trying to figure out how to find them.”

“My father…” She paused, thinking about how to phrase it. “My father from the other world hid the bodies. But my father in _this_ world isn’t a very present man so I don’t know how we would go about getting any clues.”

“If it’s important,” Riz said, placing the box in Adaine’s outstretched hand and facing Ayda, “then maybe he knew that and maybe left clues. If he was powerful enough to use something like time magic then he’s got to be intelligent enough to leave clues.”

“Yes, I suppose he would be.”

“Maybe the journals have something to do with it,” Gorug suggested. “I mean, they’re the only other things that have been scattered like the letters.”

“Can I see that that one?” Ayda held out Daya’s, then Fathe’s at a shake of Fig’s head. She squinted at it, eyes moving this way and that, unable to focus. “This is an anagram for my last name.”

“What?”

“Yeah, maybe it’s just a coincidence but my name is Fig Faeth.” As the last syllable of her name passed through her lips, the journal in her hands began to shake and flutter. She dropped it, letting out a squeak of surprise. It moved and shifted and seemed to tear itself apart and reform into a small piece of paper shaped like a guitar.

Silence fell over them as they all stared, unsure how to proceed. Fig moved first, kneeling next to it reading, “Congratulations Figueroth Faeth! You are the first to find your journal. As the paramour of the wizard Ayda, your clue will only be revealed once you have both found your journals. Good luck!” She paused for a moment before looking to Ayda. “What does paramour mean?”

“A lover, synonymous to the word beloved or girlfriend.”

Her gentle, “ _Oh_ ,” was quiet as she started to turn red up to her ears. Ayda was grateful for her dark skin and that her blush did not show well.

“Anyway,” Riz said, steering them away from the awkward silence that was closing in, “I think we should scour the library for Ayda’s journal. Even if we don’t find it, we might find someone else’s.”

“We don’t have to look,” Tracker said, gesturing to Ayda. “That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” She held out the journal, frowning at the anagram of her name. It could have been better. “Ayda Aguefort.” Much like Fig’s, it shuddered and fluttered, tearing apart and reforming into paper wings, and like a moth to flame, zoomed over to Fig’s. The two seemed to dance together, slowly rotating before coming together and catching fire. From the ashes dropped a single golden honeysuckle pendent.

“A honeysuckle?” Fabian stepped forward and picked it up, turning it around. “I’ve seen this before. My father has a business card with this logo on it.”

“That’s the logo for the Golden Gardens. My… friend owns the place.”

“No offense to Fabian’s dad,” Gorgug started, “but if your friend own’s the place then I don’t think it’s very legal.”

Fabian took a step back, placing a hand gently on his chest. “Rude?”

“He’s got a point dude,” Kristen said. “If your friend runs the place then maybe we can go there today.”

Ayda shook her head. “They don’t let me go there because, as Gorgug said, it’s illegal. But more than that, it’s dangerous.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then looked back at Ayda as Ragh laughed and said, “We’re pretty tough, isn’t that right Gorgug? Hoot! Growl!” They high fived then pulled each other into a tight hug, Adaine scrambling out of their way.

“You look like you can take care of yourself as well,” Tracker said. “I’m sure it’s not that dangerous if we all stick together.”

“I’ve been trained to fight since I was small, I don’t think that is a problem. With a group this large, we run the risk of drawing a lot of attention, and just by going against Garthy’s wishes _I_ run the risk of getting in a lot of trouble.”

“Well, what about this: me and Fig go and scope out the place because I’m the sneakiest and Fig is weirdly good at disguises.” Fabian passed the pendent to Riz, who had stretched out his hand, silently asking. “Once we figure out where the next journal might be, we’ll come back and make a plan to take it.”

“I don’t feel comfortable stealing from Garthy. They are an especially important person to me.”

“Well, do you think you could get it by asking?”

Ayda thought for a moment, not knowing how she would convince them to help. They had specifically said that she couldn’t go there unless she was in danger and couldn’t go to the police. In a technical sense, she _was_ in danger—but Garthy wouldn’t believe her. No one else could read the letters and this was time-sensitive.

“No, but—I can ask if they know what’s going on without telling them everything. And if they don’t understand then I will not try to stop you from leaving.”

“But how are you gonna do that?” Fig asked. “The only journals we had are gone.”

“Correct, but the letters are still here. We can see each other’s letters but can’t read them. If they can see that it’s a letter and not a blank page, then we have a shot at convincing them to help.”

Fig smiled a sort of lopsided smile. “Not that I want Garthy to fail but I _really_ wanna sneak into the Golden Gardens. I’ve got so many outfits.”

“Well, Garthy is coming to eat lunch with me at eleven. If they see the letter, we can ask for their help, if not, they always come to my house around five-thirty for about an hour.”

Adaine nodded. “Right. We should make a plan so you’re not making it up as we go.”

“What?” Kristen chuckled. “We always make our best plans that way.”

Tracker set her hand on the small of Kristen’s back, smiling. “And they always go horribly wrong.”

“That doesn’t sound encouraging,” Ayda said. “Considering how Garthy is, security around it will be strong. You need a plan that won’t fail.” They all looked toward Riz, Adaine, and Ayda. “I will not help with this. I’m sorry, but I feel terrible already.”

“That’s alright, Ayda,” Adaine said. “I do hope they can see the letter.”

Ragh clapped his hands together, grinning ear to ear. “Alright, y’all. Let’s make a plan.”


	7. Chapter 7

Ayda sat on the library steps, letter folded up in her hands. She had read over it again and again while the others thought up a plan. She really, really hoped Garthy could see the letter.

Right on time Garthy whipped into the parking lot and came to a smooth stop in front of the stairs. They idled for a bit before hopping out and calling over the roof, “What are you doing there?”

“The library is closed.”

“You should have called then, love. I would have picked you up in a heartbeat.”

“I know, but I know how to get into the library without using the front door.” They raised their eyebrow as Ayda continued. “I wanted to wait for you.” This was still true. Even if the others hadn’t shown up, she would have still gone into the library to spend her time until Garthy arrived. It was better to spend the day surrounded by books, than scrolling endlessly on the internet.

“That’s sweet. Give me a sec.” They ducked back into their car and parked marginally better away from the stairs and came out holding two bags of food. “So, how has your day been?”

“Weird. I only found out the library was closed when I got here and saw a note.”

“Well, that’s rather rude.”

The letter crinkled as she moved it to her side and laid out her burger on her lap. Garthy always found it odd that she had to rearrange her burger when she got them, but it was hardly her fault that it wasn’t the way she liked it. Crossing the bacon strips doesn’t cover the whole burger and if she had to take it apart to fix that, then so be it.

“Normally he calls when something changes, but there was nothing this time.”

“Did you call him?”

“No. He never answers when I call.”

“Extremely rude. I’m going to have a talk with Rawlins when he gets back.” They took a bite of their sandwich, quietly looking at Ayda as she finally put her burger together. “Is that the note?”

“No. The note is still on the door. This is a letter.”

Ayda handed them the paper and they looked for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. “Is this the first stages of a letter, because I’ve never seen a paper so empty.”

It felt like something pulled from under her as Garthy said that. “Yes. I suppose.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m sure whoever you’re writing to will be thrilled to hear from you.”

They sat in silence for a moment, Ayda feeling as though a weight had settled on her shoulders. She understood the urgency of the situation, but it still didn’t sit right with her. Trespassing was wrong—but trespassing into her friend’s domain was something else entirely.

“You know,” Garthy said, breaking Ayda from her train of thought. “If you were writing that letter to your mother it wouldn’t be strange.”

“My mother?”

“I mean, Arthur told me you asked about her the other day. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you take an interest before. Many people write letters to relatives that have passed away as a way cope with their feelings about it.”

“I see. I asked because… I thought I had a dream about her. I don’t remember much what it was about, just that there was a fire.”

There was a long pause before Garthy sighed, turning to face Ayda head on. “Do you know how your mother died?”

“No. Father never really talked about it. I always thought she died giving birth to me.”

“Sort of. She was going into labor when the house caught fire. It was fast spreading and she couldn’t get out in time. Arthur was the first to arrive and managed to drag her out, but by the time they reached the hospital, she was gone. You were still alive, though.” They paused for a moment, looking down at their burger. “I’d never seen Arthur as heartbroken as that day. But I’d also not known his capacity for love until that day. Phoebe and Arthur had a wild relationship that was strange to everyone who witnessed it including me. But he loved you from the moment he saw you and I know Phoebe did too.”

Ayda felt hot. Almost like she was boiling over, but all the spilled out of her were silent tears. She’d never known about her mother before. Not that she hadn’t wanted to ask, only that everyone spoke about her with such fondness that she hadn’t wanted to bring up the hurtful memories of her death. Though she’d never said it, she’d felt like it was her fault that her mother was gone. Only believing that it was her birth that had taken her mother away, Ayda had to contend with those feelings every year on her birthday. Every time Garthy or her father brought it up, Ayda had felt a knot of guilt in the pit of her stomach that she pushed away.

Finally, it felt loosened.

Garthy scooted closer, pulling her into a hug as she cried.


	8. Chapter 8

“Hey, did they—” Ragh stopped his enthusiastic greeting upon seeing Ayda’s tear stained face. “Are you okay?”

She sniffled, wiping her nose. “No. But I will be.”

“Okay. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. Not right now.”

“Alright, no pressure.” He reached into his bag and handed her a wad of napkins. “If you ever need someone to listen, I’m here. If not, still here.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Ragh. Where is everyone else?”

“Oh, we all moved to the library because there’s not a lot of light here.”

“I see. Do you have a plan set?”

Her question was answered as they rounded the bookshelf to see all of them huddled over a phone and Riz saying, “—mean is that since they live in the center, then it’s going to be near impossible to make it through to their house.”

“And _I’m_ saying,” Fig said, sitting back in her chair, “that if I manage to take down the guards then you’ll be fine to do your spy shit and snatch the book.”

“Garthy’s security isn’t so lax.” They all turned to face Ayda as she walked in. “They have people hired at the front and back gates and cameras that record any and all movement. Unless you can get around that, you won’t be able to get in.”

“I thought you weren’t going to help.”

“I wasn’t, but I don’t want to see you all in trouble when I could have helped. Garthy is kind, but they can be quite ruthless. If you can find a way to get past the security, I can help find the quickest way to their library.”

“I thought you weren’t allowed to go there,” Gorgug piped up. “How do you know what their house looks like?”

“When I was younger my father took me there while visiting Garthy. When I realized I wouldn’t be able to go back I wandered through the house. I know the layout fairly well and that security is tighter when Garthy isn’t there.”

“To be expected,” Fabian nodded. “My father doesn’t have much respect for people who can’t hold their own and he respects the hell out of Garthy.”

“Then that just means we need someone to figure out the security.” As a group, they all turned to Gorgug who looked like a deer in headlights. “Can you do that?”

“In theory,” he said. “But I’d need to be able to see what it’s like and I’d have to be close enough to connect to the network without it being a strain—there are a lot of factors to think about.”

Adaine nodded. “Right, well, me, Tracker, and Kristen can help Gorgug with the network thing. You said it’s only suspicious if we’re all together, but four of us shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“You should be fine. There are all types at the Golden Gardens so you shouldn’t have to worry about blending in. Garthy’s house is at the very center with a high fence and golden gates surrounding the property. It’s hard to miss.”

“Then we better get going,” Tracker said, standing and picking up her bag. “We’ve only got a few hours before we know Garthy’s gonna be gone.”

“Alright guys,” Fig said, hitting her palms against the table. “How are we gonna do this? Do I get to disguise myself or what?”

“If you plan on making a scene, then yes.”

“Oooh, if there’s a distraction can I be part of it?” Ragh asked.

“Sure,” Riz rooted through his bag and pulled out a notebook. “What we need right now are the weaknesses and strengths of Garthy’s security and the surrounding places. If we get caught, we’re in deep shit. Our parents will kill us all and it won’t matter what Garthy has in store because we’ll be dead.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to get in trouble with my mom. She always gets disappointed which is worse than anger.”

“Exactly,” Fig said. “So we better pull this off.”

Riz clicked his pen and looked to Ayda. “What can you tell us about the place? Like where the cameras are— No, I don’t think you’d know that.”

“I do. I asked Garthy about it when they were setting it up. There are cameras at every corner of the house, two pointing in opposite directions. There’s one at the front gate and one at the back. The front camera is situated to see anyone or thing approaching from the front. They’re always running but store a separate copy of footage when it detects movement and sends an alert to Garthy’s phone.”

“Wait, wait,” Fig said, leaning forward. “Garthy just told you all of this?”

“Yes. I initially asked because my father wanted to get the same security. I don’t know why we live in the suburbs. Then I asked for me. They didn’t think I’d ever be doing anything with this information.” Ayda paused for a moment. “Neither did I.”

“Well, you know. We’re super glad that you are. And you still don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’ll do this. Garthy also has house security that notifies them whenever a door or window is opened. The guards take turns rotating positions so they can walk the perimeter without leaving a gate unguarded.”

“Damn, Garthy really knows their stuff.”

“I guess if you’re as wealthy and powerful as them you’d have to be,” Fabian said. “When I went with my father a few years again, they were all carrying and wouldn’t think twice about shooting someone.”

“Sounds like,” Ragh said, smiling. “Y’all are going to need a distraction.”

“Right,” Riz leaned back in his chair, tapping the pend against his cheek. “If we manage to get the cameras down, we’ll need a distraction that will get their attention for at least a minute while I sneak in, and Garthy distracted long enough that they don’t look at their phone when I go in—it should go off without a hitch.”

“Garhty’s house is big and takes a while to get to. When you get inside, it’s up to you to find your own way out. A distraction isn’t going to work twice unless it’s something big. And I don’t think you’d want that.”

“Less attention the better.” Riz slid his notebook to Ayda. “Do you think this will work?”

“With just the bare bones of a plan, no. But we have hours before you should head over there.” She looked over her sketch and slid it back to Riz. “We’re going to make the most of this time.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Ayda?” Garthy knocked her door before gently opening it. “I thought you’d be in the kitchen.”

She swiveled two the door, locking her phone. “Sorry. I got distracted.”

“Texting someone?” There was a paused, and then their face lit up. “Did you make friends with those kids from the library?”

“I did, yes.”

“Then that makes my present to you even better—and don’t worry about it. You got me something for my birthday so this is equal exchange.” From their pocket they produced a golden honeysuckle pendant on a long silver chain. “You wear this and you can go to any of my shops at the Golden Gardens without being hassled.”

She stared at the necklace in their hands, then up at them. “Why are you giving me this?”

“You’re an adult now and you haven’t been able to visit me since you were small. There are a lot of things to do there that aren’t illegal, so I’m sure you could find something to do.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” She turned it over in her hand, a million thoughts going through her mind, but first and foremost was her worry that Fig might let other people see it. If that were the case then Garthy would leave no matter what Ayda did to keep them.

“You don’t have to say anything. And you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. But if you did, I’d be happy to have you.”

“Thank you, Garthy. Next year I will give you something worthy of this.” She paused, then cocked her to the side. “My birthday isn’t for another week.”

“You’ve never liked celebrating on your actual birthday, so it’s early this year.” They shrugged and turned to leave. “Come on. Arthur is waiting.”

“He is?” Normally on a weekday he wouldn’t get home until seven, spending time at the university either helping students or digging deep into whatever it was he chose to research that day. To be honest, she wouldn’t have even expected him to be home this early on her actual birthday. Instead they’d generally spend the day normally and the evening at her mother’s grave.

In the kitchen Arthur was hunched over the table humming to himself. “Ah, Ayda.” He turned around a small party hat perched on his head. “Happy early birthday, my dear.”

“Yes, I…” She felt overwhelmed, looking at the artfully decorated cake with her name on it. It wasn’t that her birthday hadn’t been celebrated before, it was more that this was the first time she didn’t have a mountain of guilt resting on her shoulders. She started to feel hot again and blinked away her tears.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No. I— I’m very happy. I don’t have the words to articulate it.”

“Good!” Arthur pulled out a chair, and Ayda sat as he lit the candles and Garthy turned the lights off, and together they sang happy birthday.


	10. Chapter 10

Ayda sat in her desk chair, the happiness of her birthday party wearing off as she glanced at her phone. Garthy had gone back to the Golden Gardens and there had been no word from everyone else. She was up bouncing anxiously on her toes as she waited for her phone to buzz.

Twenty minutes after Garthy left her phone started to buzz and she grabbed it, quickly answering Fig’s call.

“Thank God you answered. I hate to push urgency on you, but Riz and Raugh need a first aid kit and we used the ones we had on Fabian—”

“Don’t say it like it’s my fault!”

“I’m not! I don’t know if you have one but if you have to buy one, I’ll pay you back, but can you please hurry back to the library. And a shirt if you can spare one.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

She hustled to the kitchen, rooting through one of the cabinets and grabbing the first aid kits along with a few other medications. She was almost out the door before she turned, going to Arthur’s study. Predictably, he was still awake.

“Come in!” he called. “Ayda. What can I do for you?”

“I’m going to meet up with my friends.”

“Oh, an adventure is it? When will you be back?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Alright, then.” He turned back to his desk. “Come back before sunrise or call me if you don’t.”

She was turning before he finished his sentence, taking the keys and speeding over to the library. Riz, Ragh, Fig, Adaine, Tracker, and Kristen were in the boiler room using their phones for light as they looked over Riz and Ragh. Ragh looked better off between the two—having a black eye, busted lip, bloody nose, and twisted ankle and still managing to smile when he saw her.

Riz, on the other hand, looked like he was barely holding on to consciousness. His head was resting on Kristen’s lap and his hand pressing against his side, shirt soaked with blood. Luckily for her she had brought both kits—one more extensive than the other. She dropped the basic kit with Tracker and Ragh who nodded and started to clean him up and the bigger one with Kristen.

“What happened?”

Adaine, who was holding the flashlight for Kristen shifted his head to her lap, sighed, and said, “Ragh got into a fight with one of the guards defending Fig.”

“He shouldn’t have tried to hurt her—”

“Don’t talk, you’ll make this take longer.”

“Sorry, Tracker.”

“Yeah, I managed to distract him the first time to let Riz get over the gate,” Fig knelt next to Ayda, aiding Kristen with her phone’s flashlight. Kristen was careful cutting his shirt open and the hand that had been pressed to his side was now clutching for a hand to hold and Adaine grabbed it, squeezing. “It was easier than I thought. I just pretended to be an old lady looking for help and he bought it. I know we should have just let Riz figure out a way to leave by himself, but he was trapped. As soon as it looked like one guard was leaving another one would show up.”

“You should have left,” Riz groaned.

“Do not talk right now.” Kristen grabbed the first aid kit and started to clean the cut. It was jagged and angry, not bleeding anymore but crusted in dried blood.

“I didn’t know what else to do so I put on a different disguise and started making noise to distract them but they wouldn’t stop. So, I tried to climb the fence and that really got their attention. They pulled me down and tossed me to the ground and then Ragh tackled him and I ran.”

“He didn’t stand a chance,” Ragh said, earning a glare from Tracker.

“He did which is why you look like this.” Tracker turned to Ayda, brow furrowed as she saw Kristen working. Most of the blood was gone and she was now focused on cleaning the cut. “Is there an ice machine or something around here?”

“In the breakroom. The door should be unlocked, but if it’s not just call down.” Tracker nodded, grimacing as Riz’s face contorted in pain, but no noise was made.

Fig frowned, pale under the harsh light though Ayda suspected she would be pale regardless. “Ragh fighting was enough to distract them, but Riz wasn’t as careful as before and got cut on one of the spikes, fell, and hit his head. He ran and we both hid while it died down. I think they gave chase, but I didn’t hear anything.”

“Fights break out all the time there. I don’t think—”

“Kristen…” Riz growled.

“It’s not my fault you decided to be stupid and not watch where you climbed.” Despite her harsh tone, Ayda could see the worry on her face. Clean and disinfected, it was easy to see it wasn’t that deep, but it was long, winding from his ribs to past his navel.

“You both should be fine to go back if you want to just don’t go near Garthy’s place again.” She paused, turning to face Fig. “Do you still have that pendant?”

“Yeah, it’s in my pocket.”

“Did anyone see it?”

“I don’t think so, why?”

She pulled on her own necklace, the pendant that had been firmly tucked into her shirt showing. “Garthy gave me this today—it would let me go to the Golden Gardens without being hassled since they would know I’m expressly under Garthy’s protection. If anyone had seen yours it could have been worse for you.”

She turned her pendant over, then looked at Ayda’s. “They’re exactly the same. I wonder why that is.”

Before Ayda could answer, the trick door was pulled open as Fabian and Gorgug walked in carrying bags full of food. At the same time, Tracker walked back in with a bag of ice and gave it to Ragh. “Twenty minutes on, twenty minutes off.”

Upon seeing Riz and everyone crowded around him, Fabian went pale, hustling over. “How is he?”

“Concussion is still pretty bad and this is unfortunate, but he’ll be fine.”

“That’s good,” Gorgug said, shifting the food toward the workbench. “Can he eat?”

“Not right now. Right now, he needs to rest.” Kristen placed the gauze dressing on and secured it in place with tape before leaning back, looking up at the ceiling. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and Tracker sat next to her, rubbing her back.

“I can’t rest,” he grumbled, though his grip on Adaine’s hand had lessened.

“Sure, tough guy. Adaine, lift him up slowly so he can take this.”

She lifted him to a sitting position and took the medicine, though it looked like it took a lot of effort for him to do so. Immediately after he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Gorgug started to walk around, handing out the snack food to everyone. “Did anyone get his clue?”

“Yeah,” Fig reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card. It was shiny, glossy with two words on it: Bain Cerafastes.

It was passed around until it stopped at Fabian and he frowned. “I know what this is.”

“Other than an anagram for your name?” Adaine asked, leaning back to avoid getting crumbs on Riz’s face.

“Yeah, it’s a big bank here in Leviathan. My father keeps a lot of his money here because they don’t ask too many questions.”

“And you got offended when Gorgug said your dad was shady,” Tracker said.

“It’s rude to point it out. My point is that if it’s there, then I should be able to get it fairly easily.”

“I hope it’s easier than Riz’s,” Ragh said, shifting his bag of ice to his lip. “I don’t mind getting into a fight, but I don’t think I can get into another one so soon.”

“It _would_ be just like Riz to put his book into a stupid hard to reach place.”

Kristen looked at his cut again, leaning back against Tracker. “If it’s easy to get then at least Riz will have some time to rest. He won’t like it but he’ll be off his feet for at least a few days from the concussion alone.”

“We should find somewhere to stay until he’s better,” Adaine suggested. “How much money do we have?”

“I can pay for a hotel room,” Fabian said dismissively. “The real question is where.”

Ayda looked down at her pendant then back at them as they debated where they would get the least amount of resistance bringing their unconscious friend to.

“If you don’t mind going back, I know a place you can stay.”


	11. Chapter 11

It didn’t take long for them to settle on staying at the Golden Inn after realizing that no other place would have them without too many questions they didn’t want to answer. Considering it was on the outskirts of the Golden Garden there was a small chance that they would be found.

They took two rooms (despite Fabian’s protests that he didn’t mind paying for everyone to have separate rooms) and holed up for the week. Fabian’s book was as easy to get as he thought, just going to the bank and picking up one of the only books in the manager’s office. “It was weird. He couldn’t see the book even when I picked it up.” His journal, a neatly bound softcover, ripped itself apart and left only a drawing of a telescope.

Gorgug immediately recognized it as the logo for the planetarium on the east side of Leviathan. “My parents took me there when I was younger for a conference. It was less about the telescope and more about the technology behind it.”

“That would make sense for you,” Adaine said. “You _did_ help your parents pioneer satellite technology.”

“You did?” Ayda swiveled her chair to face him. “What was it?”

“I helped my parents figure out a way to connect cell phones to satellites so you could make calls from anywhere.” He shrugged. “I just really wanted to talk to my girlfriend.”

“You love your girlfriend to the point of invention. One can only hope to be loved as much.”

He blushed, fiddling with his headphones. “I guess that’s one way to put it.”

“Well, if you’re going to the planetarium, I’ll go with you,” Fabian said, standing. “Being cooped in here isn’t all that great.”

“Sorry for risking life and limb to progress our adventure,” Riz grumbled from the bed.

“Oh, shut up.” He waved it away, rolling his eyes. “You wanna come with Ragh?”

“Yeah, I can stretch my legs.”

They left quickly navigating their way to the planetarium. It should have been quick. The planetarium had its own library/bookstore, but there weren’t many books there. For some reason, a lot of them got stolen so didn’t leave much left. Instead of being gone an hour or two, they were gone for most of the day only saying they just had a hard time finding it since there were more books than anticipated.

From his journal, a ring had been produced that most of them recognized as a super bowl championship ring. It looked close to the real thing but Ragh knew better. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s not real. Close to it though. And one of the people who won the eleventh lives here in town.”

Tracker sighed, saying, “Are you telling me we have to break into another house?”

“No, no. This house is like a museum: all his greatest achievements on display. We can’t go today because it’s late, but first thing tomorrow? Let’s do it.”

Ayda, despite wanting to participate in their scheming, still had a job to do. Rawlins had come back and he was the same as ever, apologizing for the short notice and offering to buy her lunch to make up for it.

“I’ll take lunch if you also tell me why the library was closed.”

He shrugged, squinting at his phone adding her order to his. “I’m not too sure. Our main benefactor, Mr. Goldenhord, asked that the library be closed for that day and the following morning. I didn’t ask him many questions since he lets me run the library as I see fit.”

“I see. What do you know about him?”

He hummed, before sighing and holding his phone out to Ayda for help. “I don’t know much about him other than he makes sure we get our funding when we don’t have enough from library cards and whatnot. Large man if I do recall. Doesn’t like to stick around much.”

“Large… Is he the same person who dropped off the journal I asked about?”

“Hmm? I’m not sure, it happened so long ago. It could have been him. I just remember that person was very adamant it stay here.”

“Interesting.” Ayda turned her cart around after that, going back to shelving and helping anyone who stopped her. It was strange enough that a benefactor could close the library for almost two days without explanation or warning. But it was even stranger that he could possibly be the person who put the journals there in the first place. Still, it was convenient that they were able to find them so quickly.

At lunch her phone buzzed with a text from Fig:

_hey we managed to get ragh’s_

_about to head to a tarot shop for tracker_

_and maybe kristen_

_Are theirs together as well?_

_well, we just thought since ours were together_

_that theirs would be together_

_since they’re together_

_I see. Perhaps Riz’s was the only difficult one to retrieve_

_that would be just like him yea_

Ayda waited to see if she would say anything else, but after a minute she went back to her food, sending back:

_Good luck._

_actually could you come over here with us?_

_the boys didn’t want to come with and it’s shadier than we thought_

_not that we can’t take care of ourselves_

_we’re very strong_

_but also_

_it would be nice if we had another tough person with us_

_adaine is the main one asking btw_

_One moment._

“Rawlins, would it be possible for me to leave for lunch?”

He barely looked up, nose stuffed into a book. “Sure. Come back before three.” Ayda went to correct him (her lunch was an hour and she should have been back by one), but she said nothing, grabbed her coat, and left.


	12. Chapter 12

The tarot shop the girls told her to go was near the Golden Gardens, but further west on the outskirts. Garthy had no control here and even though they were respected, it was much worse to be caught unawares.

They were all in/on the van in an alleyway close to the shop. Tracker and Kristen were on the top presumably to keep watch, but they were more concerned with each other. Ayda knocked on the hood, grabbing their attention. Tracker lit up and jumped off the roof, holding her arms out for Kristen. In her time hanging out with them, Ayda learned that while Kristen was a dancer, she wasn’t very dexterous.

The door slid open and Adaine poked her head out, smiling at Ayda and making way for Fig who jumped out after her.

“I’m not going to lie, I already feel better having you here,” Adaine said.

“Do I look intimidating?”

“Well, yes,” she shrugged. “You’re nearly Gorgug’s height with all the muscle. Only someone who knows you wouldn’t be nervous.”

“Now with Tracker _and_ Ayda with us we’re gonna be just fine,” Kristen said, grinning. “Now we can go into the shady tarot shop.”

The shop was across the street, barely noticeable between an adult video store and adult clothing store. The windows were blacked out the only way to see was through the glass of the door, but the lighting inside made it difficult. Ayda somehow doubted they would be put off by all of that—they were all quite tough from the stories they’d told her. No, it wasn’t that. It was the people that stalked around the place and energy that was coming from it was almost palpable. There was a reason Garthy steered clear of the west side and now she knew why.

They crossed the street, trying not to herd together like scared animals. Fig was the best at looking like she didn’t care. Tracker and Kristen were arm in arm so they didn’t look off. Adaine, on the other hand, looked anxious and stuck close Ayda’s side.

A bell rang softly as they opened the door, filing in. The hairs on Ayda’s neck started to stand on end and she felt hot—like heat was surging through her though she didn’t know why. Though she’d never been to a tarot shop, it almost exactly like she’d imagined. Crystals and candles and plants littered around the tables and shelves. One wall was dedicated entirely to books on the craft and another on different decks of cards. It looked normal, but it felt wrong. Like something was just one degree out of place.

At the back of the store was a table with a young woman sitting behind it, her golden cardigan draped loosely over her shoulders as she stared at her phone. Her eyes flickered up for a moment, taking in the five of them and going back to what she was doing, calling out: “Feel free to look around as long as you’d like. My name is Penelope if you need anything or want a reading.”

Kristen, Tracker, and Fig broke off toward the books while Adaine and Ayda went toward the wall of cards. Amazingly, all of them were different: different sizes, different designs, different themes.

“I forgot to ask: what were Kristen and Trackers cards?”

“The High Priestess and The Moon. The Priestess kind of makes sense since Kristen used to be a prominent figure in her church.”

“Used to be?”

“Yeah her parents basically raised her to be the next one in charge, but they’re all wildly homophobic so she dropped them a few years ago when she realized. That realization also coincided with _her_ realizing she was gay so, win-win I guess.”

“I see. Kristen is stronger than most.”

“Well,” Adaine shrugged, turning over a bright colored deck of cards and putting them back. “Having unfortunate parents is kind of a theme between us. Tracker got kicked out when she was thirteen for coming out. My parents were emotionally abusive my entire life and Fig has had identity issues since she found out the dad she grew up with wasn’t her biological dad freshman year. And Gilear didn’t really make it better by all but disowning when he found out. He’s better now, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt her.”

Behind them Fig let out a loud laugh, snickering at something Kristen said. Looking at the three of them, you’d never know. Never known that their lives held a deep level of sadness that they each had to overcome. Fig was so confident in herself, so charming and charismatic—Ayda would have never guessed she had such insecurities.

Before she could respond, that feeling of wrongness hit again and she turned. Penelope was standing behind her, a smile plastered on her face. “Do you need any help?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” Adaine said, going back to the cards. Though her tone was easy she was standing still, hand resting on her necklace and jaw clenched.

“Are you sure? You’ve been standing here for a while.”

“Actually,” Ayda said, saving Adaine from having to talk anymore. “I would like to have my cards read.”

The smile dipped a little, the change almost too small to notice. Almost.

“Come right this way and I’ll read your cards for you.”

They went to the table, Adaine following on her right, and Fig suddenly materializing on her left. Penelope sat down in front of them, shuffling a deck of cards. “Do you have any specific questions you’d like answered?”

“No.”

“Just a general reading then.” She stopped shuffling and set the deck in the middle of the table. “Knock three times and take the first three cards and lay them out in the order you drew them.”

“Why don’t you just do it?” Fig asked. Though Ayda couldn’t see her, by the tone of Fig’s voice she knew Fig was being patronizing. “What’s the point in doing it this way?”

Penelope smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, it helps knock away any energy from my shuffle so it’s true to her and not tuned to me. Knock three times, please.”

Ayda knocked three times then drew the three cards, laying them out. Penelope flipped the first one over. “Judgement. You’ve been holding onto something. And it hurts a lot—almost too much to say. But you’re learning to move past it and you can trust that the person you are becoming is one you’ll be proud of.”

From the shelves, Kristen and Tracker walked over, huddling around Ayda. Penelope flipped over the middle card. “Two of Coins, reversed. You’re passive when you shouldn’t be. Holding a neutral stance will not help and may only be detrimental. If your help is actively needed, then give it.” She flipped over the last card. “Death. Change is coming in a way you won’t be expecting. Something big will happen to you—good, bad, or neutral—and you will be changed for it.” She looked up at Ayda, eyebrow raised, and asked, “Anything else?”

Ayda wasn’t sure what to say. Before she read her letter, she wouldn’t have cared much either way. She didn’t really believe in it, though she assumed there was some manner of truth to it. But now that she knew just how much of magic was real, the reading made her nervous. Her life had already changed so much in just a week and a half how could it change even more?

“No,” Ayda said, standing. “Nothing else.”

Penelope smiled again and this time something did reach her eyes as they landed on Fig. “Would anyone else like their cards read?”

“No,” Fig said. “I think we’re good.”

“Yeah, we just wanna buy these two books.” Kristen held up two books, one covered in stars and constellations and the other was pitch black with a crescent moon on the front. Neither of them had titles or author names on them.

“Are you sure those are the ones?” Adaine asked.

“Yeah,” Tracker said. “We just kind of… know. These are the ones we want.”

“I can check you out right over here then,” Penelope waved them over to the counter while the rest huddled near the table.

“There’s something about her I don’t like,” Fig muttered quietly. “There’s just something about her that feels off.”

“I agree,” Adaine said. “It’s the shop too. It’s not a bad place, but I don’t feel safe here.”

“I don’t read people well, but there’s something about the way she smiles that’s off putting,” Ayda said. “And—” She paused, cocking her head to the side. “It smells like nothing in here.” While she knew that wasn’t the entire reason why, that was a big piece of the puzzle. Despite all the candles and plants and incense, there was no scent except for the faint smell of cigarettes that came in with them.

As soon as Kristen and Tracker were done with their purchase, they left, careful not to seem too eager. At the van they said their names (Kristen Applebees and Tracker O’Shaughnessey) and their books flew to each other with such force it was like an explosion as light filled the van. It lit up with stars and moonlight as a small galaxy folded in on itself until in a burst of light and a single ticket lay on the ground.

Kristen moved first, picking it up then snorting, holding it out for the rest of them to see. A one-person ticket to an art museum in Elmville with a name written in neat script: Adaine Abernant.


	13. Chapter 13

“We have to go back home?” Fabian looked aggravated as he fell back on the bed, shifting Riz as he did so, earning a glare from Kristen, who was changing the dressing on his wounds. “What was the point?”

“Well,” Adaine said. “We wouldn’t have known we had to if we didn’t come all this way.”

“If I go home like this my mom is gonna kill me,” Riz said. “What if Adaine just went back?”

“You’re really going to miss out on getting another clue just to avoid your mom?”

“In his defense,” Gorgug said. “We’ve all met Sklonda.”

There was a paused and then they all nodded. “I suppose that tracks,” Adaine conceded. “But still, I don’t think I should do this alone.”

“We can split up,” Fig suggested. “Me, Kristen, and Riz can stay behind while everyone else goes. Ayda’d be willing to drive us to Elmville when you need us, right?”

“I would.”

“And if something comes up, we can just Lyft or Uber. Riz can’t move, Kristen is taking care of him, and if anything sneaky needs to be done while we’re still here, I can do it. There are enough brain cells between our groups to not do anything too stupid.”

Ayda phone began to buzz with a series of texts.

_Ayda dear!_

_I’ve decided I don’t want to go to the Physics Research Association Gala_

_It’s hosted two nights from now at the Leviathan Central Bank, Ballroom B_

_Dress up if you go, it’s a rather nice party!_

Ayda let out a small sigh, not know whether she should be annoyed at the short notice or grateful for something familiar. This wasn’t the first time this had happened and knew very well it wouldn’t be the last. Given how much Ayda knew about her father’s work, most were happy if anyone with the last name of Aguefort showed up.

“Ayda?” Fig gently touched her arm before nervously taking it back. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, my father has just left me to go to a gala in his place. It’s nothing.”

She lit up. “A party? Are you allowed to have guests?”

“I can bring one person with me.”

“At least we know you’ll be entertained while we’re gone,” Fabian said. “When are we leaving?”

“As soon as possible,” Adaine said. Begrudgingly Fabian got up and started getting his stuff together, helping clear out the room, while Tracker and Adaine went back to their room to get their things together.

It wasn’t long before they were driving away, promising to text as soon as they got there or any clues. Ayda and Fig waved for the front of the inn, and as soon as they were out of sight, Fig turned and asked, “Do you want to go shopping?”

“Why would I go shopping?”

“Well, I would like to go to the gala with you, but I don’t have any clothes that would be nice enough for it.”

“Hmm. The last outfit I wore doesn’t fit anymore so I suppose it would behoove us to go shopping.”

“To the mall!” she called, a smile on her face. Together they drove away toward the mall.

The mall in Leviathan was an enormous place. Three stories tall and wide enough to get a decent work out just walking from one end to the other. It was the best place for them to go.

They went in and out of stores and Ayda kept noticing that every so often Fig would look like she was getting excited over a dress before shaking herself out of it.

“Do you like shopping?” Ayda asked, after the third time Fig took herself away from a pastel purple dress.

“Yeah, why?”

“You seem to be avoiding the brighter colored dresses, but it looks like you like them.”

“Oh,” She shrugged, letting her hand run over a soft, pink skirt. “I used to dress like this when I was younger. With pink and frills. I was so bubbly and the throw girl for the cheer squad.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not, but I’ve changed a lot. I miss it sometimes, but I’m much more comfortable now.”

“Well, I think it’s possible to be two things at once. And I’m sure no one would think less of you if you were to indulge yourself every once in a while.”

“Maybe.” She moved on, flipping through the black dresses.

“What happened to make you change your style?”

“I found out my dad wasn’t really my dad and it kinda made me realize that I wasn’t who I thought I was. My biological dad is this crime boss/rock star and my mom is this badass forest ranger who does search and rescues all the time. And then there was me.”

“Was that bad? To have yourself?”

“At the time it was.” She picked up a short, black dress with a bright red belt. “What about you? What are your parents like? Does your dad flake all the time?”

“Not all the time. Mostly when he knows it’s not that important for him to go.”

“And the gala’s not important? I thought they were like, good for schmoozing or something.” She picked up another dress, this time a floor-length black dress with a slit up the side. She wrinkled her nose and put it back.

“They are, but he’s never cared about that type of stuff.” Ayda looked through the racks, unsure what to look for. Fig was giving it careful consideration, so she would too. “He’s powerful enough to get what he wants on his own.”

“He _did_ found a school,” she shrugged. “We go there, by the way. The Aguefort Academy of Vocation.”

“I didn’t know. I always wondered why he opened a school there.”

“Maybe he used to live there.” She ran her hands over a couple more dresses. “Do I have to wear a dress?”

“Only if you want to. I wore a suit last time.”

“Cool, maybe I’ll wear a suit.” The left the dresses, moving toward the men’s department. “What, uh, what about your other parent. What are they like?”

“My other parent?”

“I mean, sometimes you talk about Garthy like they’re your parent or guardian or something.”

“Garthy did do a lot to help raise me, but that’s only because my mother raised them.” They started moving through the racks, Ayda already knowing where they should look for her. “Garthy was a kid that lived near her that didn’t go home often because it wasn’t really their home. My mother found them and did her best to raise them.”

“Your mom sounds amazing.” Fig picked up a suit jacket, looking at the price before frowning and putting it back. “What does she do now?”

“Nothing. Our house caught fire and she died of smoke inhalation.”

Fig froze. “Oh, I-I’m sorry I didn’t realize.”

“It’s okay. I don’t… I have complicated feelings about her, but I still never knew her. Only things I learned from my father and Garthy.” There was an awkward pause. “Is this not something to talk about casually?”

“It can be, depending on who you’re talking to. For me, it’s big information that I found out and I’m not sure how to take it.”

“I see. I will look to you for social cues because I am often wrong about them.”

“I mean, sure.” They moved further down, closer to her size. “Are you going to wear a—”

“Hey!” They both stopped and turned, a large man in a security uniform hustled toward them, weaving between patrons and racks of clothes. He zeroed in on Fig who looked bored of him already. “You. You can’t have the skateboard in here.”

“Why, I’m not even riding it.”

He huffed, clearly put off by her nonchalant demeanor. “Right now, but who knows what you’re going to do when I walk away.”

“I do. I wasn’t going to ride it, but…” She trailed off, a smile of mischief on her face as she looked at Ayda. “My I’m a size fourteen all around. I trust you to pick out something nice.” With that she turned to face him head-on, stood on her toes, and yelled: “Fuck you, officer!”

He huffed, turning red in the face and apparently speechless. Fig threw her skateboard down and started to speed down the walkway. She laughed loudly holding both middle fingers up as the officer chased after her. People hopped out of her way, looking back at the officer who was quickly running out of breath. As she rounded a corner, Fig tossed a glance over her shoulder and winked.


	14. Chapter 14

The day of the gala, Ayda was nervous. It had been a long time since she had gone to her first gala by herself, but it was the first time she was going with a friend. If anyone did join her it was Garthy and they were always doing business.

Even as she stood side by side with Fig at the door, she felt her heart beating fast. Ayda had done the best she could picking out a suit that would compliment her. Despite it being off the rack and fairly plain, it flowed well, her red suspenders matching the bow. Her hair, normally in a long messy braid, was neatly plaited back. Ayda stood next to her, in a red dress she hadn’t decided to wear until the last minute. Fig had told her she looked nice, but it was hard to believe.

Together they walked in and Fig looked excited at all the people and spreads of food. Ayda knew from experience it wasn’t all that interesting if you didn’t understand what they were talking about. As a small child, she’d attended these and didn’t care much for it, preferring to stay on the outskirts until Arthur got bored.

“This is super fancy,” Fig said, as they made a line for the food. “I don’t think I’ve ever been allowed to be at something like this. My agent once tried, but I have a habit of making parties super rowdy and the guy hosting it didn’t want to take that chance.”

“You have an agent?”

“Oh, yeah. Me and Gorgug are in a band. We’re supposed to go on tour late summer but who knows at this point.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Ayda Aguefort!” Her name was called and she turned, beholding James Whitclaw, a marine biologist. She couldn’t stand him. Not that he wasn’t a brilliant man, he was just smug, pompous, and an all-around horrid person to be around. He was on the city council and liked to wave around his status he only got with his money. And it wasn’t just Ayda that couldn’t stand him—no one in Leviathan liked him and the only reason the rest of the council put up with him was because of his financial benefits.

His arms were held out like he wanted a hug, but Ayda made no move to reciprocate. She crossed her arms, staring him down. “Captain.”

He laughed, though there was no humor to it. “Still as hostile as ever. I was hoping to talk to your dad. Is he here?”

“No.”

“Of course, you hardly come here if he is.” He paused, looking to Fig. “And who is this?”

Ayda stayed quiet, glancing at Fig. Fig’s face was neutral as she said, “Fig Faeth. Nice to meet you.”

“And you as well. I have to say, I’ve never seen Ayda with a friend. I always assumed she was more of a lone wolf.”

“You don’t know everything about her.” There was an aggressive tone to her voice though her expression stayed the same. “People are bound to change.”

“Oh, I’m sure they are,” he said, with the same tone and expression. “I just know Ayda very well.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Ayda said. His gaze flickered over to her and he settled back, realizing he had started to lean over Fig.

“Let’s go dance,” Fig said, grabbing Ayda’s hand and pulling her to the floor, leaving Whitclaw to ponder the cheese spread by himself. “What’s with that guy?”

“That’s Captain James Whitclaw. He funds most city projects if they can benefit him.”

Fig went pale, glancing at him over her shoulder, and spoke low in anger, “That’s the guy that nearly killed Fabian.”

“What?”

“Yeah, three years ago Fabian kinda—” She lowered her voice, going on her toes to whisper in Ayda’s ear, “—killed his dad. It was an act of mercy, I swear. But two years ago, he came here to finish settling his dad’s affairs and ran into Whitclaw. He heard what happened to Fabian’s dad and came after him. He didn’t kill him, just beat him enough to send a message.” Fig looked like she was shrinking in on herself just thinking about it.

Ayda squeezed her hand, getting Fig’s attention. “So long as you are with me, no harm will come to you. I swear that to you.”

Fig stared for a moment, then laughed. “You know you can be a little intense.”

“Can I?”

“Yeah, just a little.” She took a deep breath, slowly relaxing. “Do you want to actually dance? I just said that so we could walk away. I am by no means a dancer like Fabian or Kristen, but I can waltz pretty okay.”

“I would like to, but I’m not good at it. I know the steps but keeping rhythm and making sure I’m moving right… it just doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“Sounds like you just haven’t had the right partner.” Fig pulled Ayda, closing the space between them. “Just follow my lead and try not to overthink it too much.”

Ayda tried not to think too much which only lead her to think too much about not thinking too much. She stumbled over her feet and Fig’s feet. She bumped into other dancers and couldn’t figure out which step was next. And then she looked at Fig. She was smiling still, looking up at Ayda and living in the moment. And at that moment, Ayda found her rhythm. She wasn’t a smooth as she would have liked to be, but she was less clumsy. They sailed around the dance floor, and it was almost enough for Ayda to ignore the other people there. She started to feel hot again, but this time it was more comfortable than anything else. She felt like she was growing hotter and hotter and then—

The song ended and the two of them stopped dancing, separating. Fig gave her a flourished bow and laughed. “I told you, you just needed the right partner.”

“Yes, I suppose that was all I—” She stopped, turning back to the floor and scanning the room to make sure she had heard right.

“Ayda? Did something happen?”

“I heard someone say—”

“Kalvaxas!” Across the room Jamina Joy, the head of the parks department, enthusiastically greeted a large man with deep red hair.

His back was turned to them as he laughed, loud and boisterous. “I’ve told you, Jamina, I go by Goldenhord now.”

They looked at each other, a look of determination on Fig’s face as she immediately laid out a plan: “You should go talk to him since you have a reason. He helps fund the library, right? I can go schmooze these losers and see what I can figure out about him.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Try not to draw too much attention to yourself.”

“I refuse to make promises I can’t keep,” she said, walking to away to her soon to be targets. Ayda turned back to Kalvaxas, straightened up, and walked over.


	15. Chapter 15

Ayda knew a great deal about Kalvaxas. He had been the leader of a political mafia that operated out the Red Wastes—a city several miles west of Leviathan. He was powerful and moved to take over nearby cities and managed to get quite a few until he got to Leviathan. He was terrifying, but no one in Leviathan backed down from a fight. Through the combined effort of the city and federal police, he was taken down. His subordinates either died, ran, or betrayed him. After his arrest, he used whatever influence he had to keep out of jail, but he was much weaker now and no one was afraid of him.

That still begged the question of why he was here and why he was funding the library. And, more importantly, if he knew anything about the other world.

Ayda approached him and Jamina, getting their attention before speaking. They turned and Jamina smiled, always happy to see Ayda. As a kid, Ayda had helped Jamina with tasks whenever Arthur had reason to visit the Parks and Rec department. “Good to see you again, kid.”

“And you as well.” Ayda stood next to her, sizing up Kalvaxas. He was big. Bigger than she would have guess someone could be and she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye, not something she had to do since she’d shot up in tenth grade. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Right, I’m sorry.” He shifted his drink to his other hand and Ayda caught a glimpse of a chain as his jacket flapped open. He held his hand out and she took it. “Nice to meet you, Ayda. If I’m not mistaken, you work for the Cross Points Library.”

“I do.” She paused, catching a glimpse from Fig as she smiled and laughed to people Ayda was sure would balk at the idea of Fig’s band. “It’s my understanding that you’re the main benefactor of the library.”

“I am,” he smiled. “I figured I would go back to my roots. While they’re technically not mine, a hoard of something feels good to have. Books are just as good as any.”

“In fact,” Jamina said. “He was just talking to me about expanding it a bit. And while I’m normally gung-ho for more parks, it wouldn’t be a bad idea. It _is_ the only library in the city.”

“It wouldn’t,” Ayda said. “It’s rather big as it stands, but it could be more than what it is.”

“If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me.” He smiled again and suddenly she felt that same feeling that something was wrong she felt when talking to Penelope. That something was just a degree off. Perhaps it was his eyes—so dark and blue that they seemed almost purple. Perhaps it was that she could tell he was carrying and even if he wasn’t his muscles were barely contained in his suit.

Perhaps it was nothing.

He laughed into his drink then said, “Though I wouldn’t suggest telling me now. It would slip my mind.”

Jamina laughed, toasting her glass.

“If a hoard is what you were after, you could have funded the science department of the university. There are many who would do you favors just for the consideration. Why the library?”

“Well, that library is the lynchpin of this city. No offense Jamina, but there’s just not another place quite like it. Why, many people in this room have found themselves there, myself included. It is the side of the city that people see when looking for destinations to visit and escapes to make. It is also the last place anyone would think I would be.”

“Perhaps. But I think working at a high school would be most unsuited for you.” For a moment—a brief, but an indisputable moment—he looked panicked. Almost like the floor had been ripped from under him.

He coughed, schooling his face to something that more resembled distant disdain. “I would never subject myself something like that willingly. High school students are just horrible to be around.”

“I was in high school up until last month.”

He grimaced, looking slightly uncomfortable, though his expression was quickly replaced by surprise as Jamina let out a loud laugh. “You sure know how to talk to people, don’t you honey?”

“Yes,” Ayda said, though it sounded more like a question. “Did I say something strange?”

Jamina shook her head. “Not remotely. It’s nice that someone will say what’s on their mind especially when it comes to reminding someone that teenagers are people.”

“I do realize that I just haven’t had the best experiences with teenagers.” He frowned as if remembering something terrible. “They can be horribly persistent.”

“Oh, do tell, Kalvaxas.” Jamina leaned against the wall, sipping her glass and waiting, eyebrows raised.

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s Goldenhoard now, Jamina. My old name just brings up too much attention.”

“Oh, I do apologize,” Jamina said sarcastically, bowing slightly. “I didn’t mean to offend you, but I am absolutely intrigued as to what teenagers got the better of you.”

His eyes narrowed further and that wrong feeling deepened. “No teenagers got the better of me. They thought they did, but it didn’t last long. Even if they were to try something now,” and he turned to look at her as his voice took on a hard edge and said, “they’d be fools to expect to win.”

She started to feel hot again, arms and legs and face on fire with heat and anger as she stared him down. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

He finally turned away after Jamina coughed, shaking his glass as he realized it was empty. “Good. It’s better that you don’t.” He frowned into his glass as if it had disappointed him. “Didn’t you have a date you came with? Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”

Ayda turned away, not saying another word his hot, but cooling off. She had never felt a more visceral feeling of anger than when she had been staring him down. She hadn’t been mistaken. He and Penelope were dangerous. And not just dangerous in the way that Ayda herself could be dangerous. there was something more to them that she couldn’t place.

As she mused, she realized slowly that Fig was nowhere to be found. Last she had seen, Fig was across the room talking to someone. She rushed across the room, startling the woman out of her reverie as Ayda stopped in front of her. “Have you seen my friend Fig? She’s wearing a suit with red suspenders and a red bow tie. She was talking to you not long ago.”

“Oh, yes,” she waved to the door. “She walked out of here not long ago.”

Ayda turned on heel, hustling out the door. Despite the occasion, Fig was still wearing her combat boots and the sound of them against the tile was enough to lead Ayda where she needed to go. Fig was headed up the stairs toward the roof. The ballroom they had been in was on the fourth floor with only one floor above them. The roof door was normally closed and locked but as Ayda heard the screech of metal against concrete, she doubled her pace, kicking off her heels.

By the time she had gotten to the roof, Fig was standing on the ledge, hair ruffled by the gentle wind.

Fig turned, and for a moment there was nothing. Her face blank, expressionless as she put one foot behind her, over the edge. Then all at once it broke, and Ayda could see the fear in her face as she realized what she was doing. Fig’s hand reached out grabbing nothing and she fell. Ayda was stuck, frozen with fear. The wind seemed to still, the smell of rain so strong in her nose as she started to sway.

“Ayda!”

She was moving before she realized she had decided to, air whipping around her as she jumped, arms outstretched as she reached for Fig. Ayda’s stomach dropped as the weight of her actions began to hit her. What could she possibly do to save Fig when now her own life was in danger? As soon as she thought that, she realized she didn’t care. She was here now, falling and reaching and sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would save Fig no matter the cost.

Their fingers interlocked and for a moment Fig smiled and that heat began to start up again, this time roiling just beneath the surface. Fig smiled, but it was so sad as one of Fig’s tears hit Ayda’s cheek.

The heat all at once became too much, in a single instant bursting to life a roiling flame that surrounded her, lighting up Fig’s face in disbelief. Though Ayda couldn’t see, she knew that her hair and eyes had caught fire to match the burning wings protruding from her back.

Ayda had no time to truly register what happened as she hugged Fig to her chest, switched places so she would absorb the impact, and they hit the ground, buffeted by the flames that didn’t burn and rolled to a rough stop. They stayed there for a moment, Fig laying on top of Ayda as they both caught their breath. She was no longer on fire, though the heat of transformation left her dress smoldering.

Their collective breathing was the only that could be heard as they stayed like that for a long time, Ayda’s arms still tight around Fig and Fig gripping the remains of Ayda’s dress.

Fig broke the silence first, her voice soft, almost muffled. “Penelope was here. I don’t know what she did to me, but the last thing I remember before you called my name was being surprised she was there.”

Ayda closed her eyes, blocking out the clouded sky. “Kalvaxas is on to us. He all but threatened me when I talked to him.”

Fig let out a long sigh before shifting, sliding off of Ayda and sitting up. She pulled her legs to her chest, glancing back at the roof. After a pause, she asked, “Did you know you could do that?”

Ayda sat up. “No. I didn’t.”

“Then why—!” She stopped, the echo of her voice fading as she lowered it. “Why did you jump after me? You could have died and then we’d be out one of the most competent people we have.”

“I promised you I would keep you safe. I don’t break my promises.”

Fig blinked at her slowly then started to giggle, it quickly turning into full raucous laughter. Ayda wasn’t sure what was so funny, but there was something contagious about her laughter as soon she found herself in a fit of giggles as well. The two of them leaned on each other, their hearts still beating hard from their near-death experience, but somehow feeling light as the wind kicked up, the sky broke, and heavy rain drenched them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna be real y’all the scene where Ayda goes to save Fig from falling is the whole reason I made it this far we’ll see what happens next lads


	16. Chapter 16

Ayda’s house, being the closest dry destination, was where they went after their giggle fit. After a quick back and forth it was decided that Fig would stay the night, not wanting to leave Ayda alone. She almost made the argument that her father was there, but a note in the kitchen told her that Arthur was at his office where he would stay all night.

“I know you can take care of yourself, but I would feel a lot better if you weren’t here alone.”

Ayda couldn’t found it in herself to disagree, so she gathered some clothes and pointed Fig in the direction of the shower while she went to take hers.

They didn’t eat, not hungry as they sat across from each other on Ayda’s bed and waited as the phone rang out. Despite calling for Kristen, Riz is the one who picked up.

“Uh, where’s Kristen?”

“She got sad that Tracker isn’t here so she went and bought some wine.” Further away they could hear her crying. “She’s not doing very well.”

“Okay, well, I just wanted to say that I’m gonna stay with Ayda tonight and then tomorrow we’re gonna head over and tell you what happened.”

“Hey, wait what happened?”

“Um, a lot. But with Kristen drunk and everyone else gone, it’d be better if we told everyone at once.” Fig paused, furrowing her brows. “How did Kristen get wine? No one is twenty-one.”

“I have no idea. When she came back, she was mostly gone.”

“Are you gonna be okay?”

“She changed my dressing before she left and I already ate. Mostly I just need to make sure she doesn’t throw up.”

“She’ll be fine. Just make sure she sleeps on her side and drinks water before she goes to sleep.”

“I will. Have fun at your sleepover.”

Fig sighed, slumping against the wall. After a moment she leaned over and grabbed her guitar. “Do you mind if I play?”

“No.” Fig leaned back again, closing her eyes, plucking gently at the chords. Ayda didn’t recognize the song, but it was soft, filling the dark room and silence between them as they leaned on the wall. Ayda watched her hands move quickly between the cords. Even in the dim light, she could see how calloused Fig’s fingers were, though she remembered them being quite soft.

“You’re on fire again.” Ayda snapped out her thought, realizing the dim light was her eyes. Framing her eyes was a flare of fire, fanning out on either side of her face. “Do you know how you do that?”

“No. I didn’t even realize it had happened again.” She tried to will the flames away but it only moved from her face to her hair. Fig laughed and Ayda let the flames be. “It doesn’t hurt. It’s just kind of warm.”

“The real question is how. You’re not magic, right?”

“Not at far as I know. I suppose I was nearly born into flames, but I doubt that matters here.” She paused for a moment. “How are you so calm about all of this? We nearly died today, but that doesn’t seem to have fazed you.” Ayda herself was only calm because Fig was calm.

“It helps that that wasn’t the first time I’ve almost died, but I… I suppose that I’ve found a way to not think about things. Indulge in some nonsense, smoke a bit, play my bass.”

“So, you have discovered a way to escape from thoughts that are scaring you.”

Fig nodded, smiling a little. “Yeah, I guess so. Didn’t expect to be called out like that, but yeah.”

Ayda paused, watching the shadows dance on the wall. “I don’t want to overstate this, but I would give anything to have a skill like that.”

“I’m sure that you could learn. And honestly some people, specifically me, are better at it than others. You just have to find what works for you.”

“And what works for you?”

“Normally I just pretend to be someone else.”

“Is that fun?”

She snorted a little, leaning her head back. “Sometimes, yeah.”

Ayda frowned. “Interesting. I don’t… I don’t understand that. Because if I were you, I wouldn’t want to be anyone else because you are very exceptional.”

Fig sat up, moving her guitar back to the floor, wringing her hands. “Thank you, Ayda. I wish I could just take the compliment, but I think you think I’m someone different than who I am.”

“Being mistaken about the nature of something and discovering its true nature is my favorite thing in the world to do.”

“Maybe, see—what you did tonight was _amazing_. You are incredibly intelligent and strong and kind and gifted in so many ways I just. I don’t know why someone who can do what you do would think I’m exceptional.” She shrugged, tugging her hair out of its braid. “All I know how to do is talk to people really well and disguise myself.”

“Those aren’t skills that are easily mastered.” Ayda knew firsthand how difficult it could be to learn how to talk to people. She’d had all her life to figure it out and she still found herself coming up short. “I didn’t hear much of your conversations, but I could see the way you charmed people you’d never met.”

Fig smiled a little, working the smaller braids out. “It was pretty cool of me, huh?”

“You’re asking me if that was cool of you?”

“Yeah.”

“Extraordinarily. I’ve found everything you’ve done cool.” Ayda’s hair glowed brighter as she continued. “I don’t have a lot of self-confidence and I don’t want to make mistakes. So, when I say I think you’re extraordinary, I mean it in every sense of the word.”

Fig pulled the last braid out, letting her hair fall messily over her shoulders. Her voice was soft as she said, “You’ve said some very nice things to me and I feel terrified to say something nice to someone like this…” She paused, looking at her hands. “… but I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

Though Ayda knew it was her flame that cast her face in an orange glow, she was almost sure that Fig was blushing as hard as she was.

“Fig, if I tell you something, do you promise not to make any assumptions and take the information at face value?” Fig looked up, one brow up in confusion, but she nodded. “At any waking moment, outside of planning and life threatening situations, that you and I have been together, if you had tried to kiss me on the mouth it would have been received favorably. Bear in mind, you promised not to make any assumptions on how I feel or anything else.”

Fig stared at Ayda for a moment before sitting up a little straighter and saying, “You have to promise that if you make fun of me, I’ll… I’ll give you a wet willy. Or something. Promise me.”

“I promise you this.”

There was a gentle pause before Fig leaned forward, kissing Ayda firmly on the mouth. Her lips were soft and pleasantly cool and against Ayda’s and she knew that her flames had surged out, lighting up the entire room. Their hands found each other and grasped tightly for a moment before Fig pulled away. She pulled her hair in front of her face, a curtain hiding her expression. “I’ve never done that as myself before.” She parted her hair, peaking at Ayda. “I’m sorry. I’m so used to being other people and this absolutely terrifying.”

Ayda was quiet for a moment, her hair fire dying down. She took Fig’s hands gently away from her face, intertwining their fingers. Calloused, yet soft. Incredible. “Can I get another shot at that? You were perfect, but I think I could do better.”

Fig smiled a bit, lifting her head back up and pulling Ayda closer. “Yeah, why don’t you show me?”

Ayda leaned forward this time, her fire growing brighter and wings burning through her shirt as she pressed her lips against Fig’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First thing: Yes I /did/ snatch that dialogue straight from the show there was literally no better exchange that I could imagine.
> 
> Second thing: Updates may be a little dicey from here on! I started writing this in April while I was quarantined and I have been back at work for about two and a half months and haven’t been able to write as much. So I’ll do my best to keep them coming (I see y’all constant commenters tysm), but I don’t know if I can keep them at the same rate. Sorry in advance!


	17. Chapter 17

That night, as Fig and Ayda drifted off to sleep, Ayda dreamed in vivid detail. Normally her dreams were fuzzy by the time she woke up, having been too strange or too normal to bother. But tonight, it was as if she was there.

At first, she was confused. She was in the Compass Points, but it was different. The library was already big, but this was sprawling. She couldn’t see the back of the building from where she stood and there was a section with a large wrought-iron gate and padlock that had ‘ _Forbidden_ ’ written over top.

High ceilings that soared to a perch at the top, a telescope at the very top. Books and papers were strewn about beneath it as an enormous bird stayed hunched there. The bird turned and with a flap of its wings, it took off. Suddenly Ayda realized that it wasn’t a bird. It was a woman with large fiery wings and talons. Bright, glowing tattooed runes covered her arms and she was dressed neatly in pirate garb.

The most disconcerting this was that she looked exactly like Ayda. Almost like looking into a mirror, but her pupils were small fires.

The other Ayda regarded her before saying, “You have magic in you.”

“Yes.”

“It shouldn’t be possible, and yet here you are.” She stopped, crossing her arms. “You haven’t been able to reach me until today. What happened?”

“Fig and I almost died. She stepped off the roof, and I jumped to save her. I suppose that was the catalyst.”

“Fig is with you?” Her face moved from concern and intrigue to something softer, and she smiled. “Is she all right?”

“She’s fine. More than fine. But she was controlled to jump off the roof. She saw a woman named Penelope, then she remembered being on the roof. Do you know who she is?”

“Penelope. I feel as though Fig told me something about her. I will look into this. Have you found anything about Kalvaxas?”

“I know where he is and how to find him. As for getting that watch back, it may take more time. I don’t know how you all work, but we can’t rush in and steal from him without serious repercussions that we aren’t prepared to deal with.”

“I suppose a world without abundant magic and rules like our would be more complicated to take things.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what did you all do to him? He seemed very bitter about having been wronged by teenagers.”

“I wasn’t there when this happened, but Kalvaxas was the dragon Emperor of the Red Wastes who was torn down from power by a monarch who had grown tired of his raids and general bad demeanor. My father was the one who chose his punishment by tying him to the Aguefort Adventuring Academy as the vice principal, where he was all but powerless. Eventually he tried to come back, but everyone worked together to defeat him and in the end Fabian’s dad turned him into a ship to sail around hell in.”

Ayda stood for a moment, bouncing on her toes as she reeled from the information. She hadn’t known what kind of world the other Ayda came from, but there was almost too much for her to process.

“Fabian’s dad is in hell?” was all she managed.

“Yes. From what I heard, he was a very doting father, but not a very good man. He continues running from the law and causing mayhem in hell. Or at least he would if any of the hells still existed.”

“Why did you choose this world? We have almost no magic or agency.”

“It—” She stopped, glancing around. For the first time, Ayda started to notice the building was fading. From the edges of the dream, the only things to clearly be visible were the space they were talking in. “It was the only world where we all had a chance of being together again. I may not know the details of your relationship with everyone, but know that they are the most loyal people you will ever meet.”

The dream faded before she could respond, leaving on the image of two burning eyes staring back at her.

* * *

“You saw your other self?” Riz was sitting up, eating a bowl of cereal with what appeared to be coffee. Kristen was laying on her bed, a pillow over her face, but she assured them she was listening.

“Yes, she was odd. She had talons and wings and was constantly on fire.”

“I met me, too.” They turned to Kristen, whose voice was muffled under the pillow. “She looked exactly like me with the same tie-dye shirt, but she had a staff that looked like a question mark. But that was right after you got hurt and I forgot to tell y’all.”

“Did she say anything important?”

“She hugged me and we cried. Then we talked about Tracker and she sounds so badass in that other world.”

“Well,” Riz said disappointed. “I don’t think we could have expected anything else. What happened to you two last night?”

“We almost died, so that was fun,” Fig said, kicking her leg up on the desk and plucking at her guitar. “Someone controlled me and sent me to jump off the roof and Ayda saved me.”

“What!” Kristen sat up, wincing at the light. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”

“Because we didn’t die. I fell and Ayda jumped after me and she sprouted wings of fire and saved us from the worst of it.”

Riz and Kristen looked between Fig and Ayda before settling on Ayda. “Can you do that right now?”

“I’m not sure. It just happens out of my control. It happened last night while we were at my house, but I’m still not sure what it was.” From across the room, Fig rocketed her chair towards Ayda, planting a kiss on her cheek. All at once her eyes caught fire, singeing a bit of Fig’s hair.

“Figueroth!” Kristen was now completely sat up, a large smile on her face. “Have you joined the club, finally?”

“Club?” Ayda asked, the flames on her face dying down.

“Uh, yeah. When you’re here, you’re family. It’s called being gay.”

Fig fell back in her chair laughing, and Riz just shook his head. “ _Anyway_. Do you know who it was that controlled you? Like, how did they do it?”

“It was Penelope from the tarot shop,” Fig said, trying to smother her giggles. “I saw her at the gala and then the next thing I know I’m on the roof. She didn’t say or do anything. She just smiled.”

“Did you notice anything?”

“I was talking to Kalvaxas,” Ayda said. “Though he goes by Goldenhoard now. I think he has the pocket watch, but I know he’s on to us and going to be cautious. I have the best chance to getting close to him, but I’m not sure how we should—”

Kristen phone went off loudly, and she flinched. “Why does everyone insist on calling me? Hello?”

Adaine’s voice came from the speaker, though she sounded a little breathless. “Kristen, can Riz move around now?”

“Yeah, he just shouldn’t exert himself too much.”

“Okay, cool. Is Ayda there?”

“I’m here.”

“Are you able to drive everyone to Elmville right now? We found— Uh, we found something very important would appreciate it if could all come here as soon as possible. Please.”

Riz raised his eyebrow. “Are you—?”

“Sandra Lynn was walking by. Please hurry, we can’t get in there without you all.”

Ayda thought for a moment. Arthur should be fine getting around without the car—after about a week at the Compass Points he’d given her free rein of it. Garthy was meant to visit, but she could call it off and make it up at a later date. “Let’s go.”


	18. Chapter 18

The way to Elmville was partially filled by detailed recounts of the night before and soft snores from Riz and Kristen as the sun went down. Fig took over as the moon rose high and Ayda drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Ayda woke up to the sun streaming in through the window. The neighborhood they were driving through was nice, though they quickly left it behind as they drove past a cemetery and to a house on a hill. It was a large, rundown manor with a sloped roof, wrought-iron gates, and gargoyles in the front.

Several cars sat in front, though the van was missing from the array. As they pulled into the gravel driveway Kristen stirred. “Are we here? Is Tracker here?”

“I’m sure she’s here right—”

The front door slammed open and Tracker stood silhouetted with a few people behind her. There was a small gasp as the backdoor opened, a sharp snort emanated from Riz as he shot up then groaned. Kristen and Tracker’s reunion was almost like something out of a movie, Tracker swinging Kristen around the yard before they took off inside the house. Fig just rolled her eyes and handed Ayda the keys. “They do that every time their apart for more than a few days.”

“Should we be like that?”

“No, no,” she laughed. “Not if we don’t want to.”

As they got out and walked to the door, Adaine was standing there with a smile, but something seemed off about it. Another tall woman with a striking resemblance to Fig was in the door, along with a tall man with a gentle smile.

“Mom,” Fig said. “This is Ayda. We met her in Leviathan.”

“Hello, Mrs. Faeth.” Ayda held her hand out. “It’s very nice to meet you. Your daughter is extraordinary.”

She raised her brow and looked at Fig, but held out her hand. “Sandra Lynn. And I’m sure she is. Jawbone?”

The man laughed softly, his voice gruff, and held out his hand. It was soft and dwarfed hers. “I’m Jawbone O’Shaughnessey. Nice to meet you dear.”

“And you as well.”

“Cool, nice of you to meet everyone, can we please go to Kri— No. _No_.” Adaine shuddered for a moment before correcting herself. “Let’s go to my room.”

“Up to something?” Sandra Lynn asked. There was a tone to her voice that made Fig and Adaine stand up a little straighter. “If you’re up to something dangerous, we’ll have to have a talk again.”

“No, mom, it’s nothing dangerous.” Fig grabbed Ayda’s hand and dragged her past the doorway. “We’re just, you know, doing stuff. Furthering our adventure.”

“You better not get in trouble!” she called as they all hustled up the stairs. Adaine’s room at the top of the tower. Kristen and Tracker, after their reunion in the yard, had legged it to Kristen’s room for whatever it was they planned on doing, which left Riz, Adaine, Fig, Ragh (who had heard the noise and come from his room), and Ayda.

“Aelwen and Fabian went out to practice and haven’t come back,” Adaine said, closing the door. “I called Gorgug but his parents had him help with their new project until late and you guys know how deeply he sleeps.” They nodded, agreeing. “So, we went to the museum yesterday, and we kinda had to…” She lowered her voice. “…rob the museum.”

“Aww, man,” Fig groaned. “All I did was run from mall cops and almost die.”

“You what?”

“We’ll tell you later,” Riz interjected. “Why did you do that?”

“My journal was carved at the base of a statue, apparently in a language that no one else could read without getting a headache. It became a real journal after I said my name and someone saw. They were confused but said the journal was theirs because it’s from a statue which, you know, fair. Then I pointed at the statues to say something—I can’t remember—and a fog formed around it until it was too thick for us to really see. We took this opportunity to leave very quickly. I still don’t know what happened.”

“We could have taken her,” Ragh shrugged.

“I’m sure you could have. Anyway, when I opened it further, a key was buried in it.” She rooted around in her jacket pocket and produced a small key on a chain. It looked like real bone with gold laced through the cracks to keep it together. “It’s pretty much a dowsing rod and it’ll lead us to where we need to go, but only if all of us are there. Otherwise it leads me to things I lost.”

“Find anything interesting?” Fig asked.

“I found Boggy’s backpack,”

“Boggy has his own backpack?” Ayda asked.

“No, I have a backpack where I keep him.” She paused. “He can absolutely have his own backpack. Do you guys think Jawbone would make one if I asked?”

“I’m sure he would,” Riz said. “When are Fabian and Aelwen getting back?”

“They should be back in an hour or so. I can try Gorgug again, but it’s still pretty early. Fabian said he’d text when he was ready, so I guess we’ll just have to wait.”

As they waited, Fig gave Ayda a tour of the house, pointing out where everyone’s rooms were. Next to Adaine’s room was Zayne’s room—a boy who only lived there sometimes, depending on what he was up to. Fig didn’t go into details about it.

According to Jawbone, every room had a secret passage to another. They knew that most because Fig’s space under the piano led to Kristen’s room and Tracker would use the space to sneak in there. Ragh and his mom also lived there, and upon meeting her, it was easy to tell where Ragh got his seemingly endless enthusiasm.

Ayda even got to meet Gilear. He was short and balding. His shirt was stained with something and he looked alarmed upon seeing her.

“Gilear! It’s cool that you’re here. This is Ayda.”

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Is it?” He sounded genuinely confused as he shook her hand. “I don’t think many people think it’s nice to meet me.”

“Come on, Gilear,” Fig said. “We talked about this. Sometimes people think it’s nice to meet you.”

“Not most of your friends, daughter.”

“Good news because Ayda’s not just a friend.” Fig slipped her hand into Ayda’s and she felt the heat start to build up again. “What are you doing here anyway, I thought you’d be busy at the school?”

“Well, I was going to the school, and I realized that I had yet to deliver your graduation present since it arrived yesterday.” From his pocket, he produced a small box with her name written in beautiful script. Inside was a shimmering guitar pick, bright red with flames on one side and deep green on the other with a bird.

“Gilear this is amazing!” She threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him over. “Where did you even get this?”

“It was custom made at a shop in Leviathan.” He glanced at his watch, wincing. “I must be going or I shall be late. It was a pleasure to meet you Ayda.”

He waved goodbye and hustled out.

“Is he always like that?” Ayda asked.

“What? Frazzled and confused?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, his mental and emotional health kinda went downhill after he and my mom divorced. We’ve been working on getting it better.” She turned the pick over, a small smile on her face before putting it into her pocket. “Come on. Let’s watch something while we wait.”

Jawbone poked his head out of the kitchen. “I’m making breakfast if y’all are gonna hang around for a bit more.”

“Nice! Jawbone makes the best food.” They sat down on the couch as Fig flipped through channels and Ayda couldn’t help but think about how strange and different this was. Her home was normally quiet and orderly. The rowdiest she could ever remember it getting was when Arthur had stayed up for eighty hours and start severely hallucinating. This was a different kind of rowdy that was hard to keep up with, but there was no animosity and anger or even that much chaos. It was soft around the edges in a way she didn’t understand but liked.

The two of them sat on the couch, joined by the rest of the house not long after, lounging on the couch and each other.


	19. Chapter 19

Gorgug showed up with Fabian and Aelwen halfway through breakfast. Aelwen looked exactly like Adaine except taller, paler, with shorter hair. It was messily sheered like she’d done it herself. They crowded around the table and everyone moved around to accommodate for the newcomers.

There was a quick introduction and Aelwen laughed, short and haughtily. “Amazing you managed to pin someone down, Figueroth.”

“Oh, shove it, Aelwen.”

Ayda glanced between the two. Though their tones were hostile, they both had smiles. Breakfast ended with little incident, only Sandra Lynn warning them that if they got arrested again, they’d all be in bigger trouble than just the cops. They all left, promises or excuses overlapping each other as they all headed to the van.

Adaine sat in the front next to Gorgug and the key hovered for a moment before pointing away from the house. They all stared for a moment before Gorgug said, “I guess we follow the key.” For the last time, they all told their stories of what happened while they’d been separated.

Fig leaned back in her seat, sighing. “How come Ayda and Adaine get the flashy cool powers?”

“They’re not cool,” Adaine called back. “They’re scary and weird.”

“So, you say. Do you know how cool it is that you can make fog at will and escape without anyone coming to bother you? Or fly on wings of fire? Adaine you’re killing me here.”

“I don’t need to do that the— Turn, turn!”

The van was nearly on two wheels as Gorgug made a hasty turn right. “Hey, wait a minute,” he said. “We’re just going toward the school.”

“What?” Fabian groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Sure enough, Gorgug lead them to the school without protest from Adaine, who kept a steady eye on the key.

They parked near the football field and they trooped together, stopping only briefly for Riz to pick the lock to the gate. As they walked by the field, Gorgug, Fabian, and Ragh stared at it for a moment longer.

“I know we just graduated, but I miss playing football,” Gorgug said.

“Shame we only got to play on the team together for a year,” Ragh said.

Adaine led them past the gate to the bleachers and a door Ayda wasn’t sure belonged there. While she had never been to this school, she had been to the bleachers of Leviathan High enough to know that while there may have been a door, it didn’t look like this. This door was made of deep wood, carved with nine distinct images: a pair of wings, a crystal ball, a sword, a guitar, a battle ax, a staff, a pair of gauntlets, a briefcase, and a full moon.

They all stood and stared for what felt like an hour, and Ayda felt a headache start creeping in. She winced as Adaine put the key in and they walked into what should have been the underside of the bleachers, but was a large, dark room. The edges had tables with papers and journals, but Ayda didn’t pay attention to those. On the far side were nine tanks with nine people floating in glowing green fluid. Her headache worsened as she approached one of the tanks, but she kept moving until she was standing in front of her other self.

Her hair and wings were still on fire despite being submerged, and Ayda could feel the warmth from it without even reaching for it. She looked almost the same as when Ayda saw her in her dream, but there was something about her actually being there—of being close enough to touch her—that made it all seem so big.

With her headache pounding and the flowing green light, she barely noticed when Fig’s pocket started to move on its own. She turned just in time to see the pendant, along with every other clue they’d gotten, come together. They tore themselves apart to nearly nothing, a faint blue light shining from all the pieces until slowly they reformed into a stack of nine neat leather-bound journals.

Ayda’s headache began to subside as she walked to the journals, becoming nothing more than a dull ache. She wasted no time finding hers, flipping to the last page.

_Ayda had wished she could hold Fig in her arms, but she knew it wouldn’t be possible. She knew that the tanks they were being sequestered into were tailored only to them in order to secure their survival. It didn’t make her want to be with Fig any less._

_She stepped into the tank, the last of them to do so, and folded her wings gently against her back. Arthur was buzzing around one of the workbenches, muttering something to himself before he walked over to her._

_“Are you ready, dear?”_

_“Yes. Are you sure you do not wish to take my place?”_

_He laughed, shaking his head. “No, no. This is your adventure! I know you will not fail.”_

_“I’m not worried about failure. I’m worried about you right now.”_

_Arthur smiled and approached her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently. “I will be fine, Ayda. Rest.”_

_As he said that, she started to feel heavy and for a moment she thought of resisting the spell, but let herself fall. She followed him with her eyes. The last thing she saw was him smiling, holding one of her bright orange feathers._

Ayda blinked, tears she didn’t realize she had falling onto the pages. She felt a strange and deep sadness in her, though she wasn’t sure why. In this world, she had her father. Arthur, as flighty as he was, was always by her side when she needed him. This other version of her… she had a different relationship with Arthur that Ayda didn’t understand.

She started as Fig put a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

Ayda sniffed. “I’m okay. The other me was… she was heartbroken when this happened.”

“Yeah, so was I.” She sat next to her, a white-knuckle grip on her journal. “I was angry too.”

“I don’t think we should stay here for too long,” Riz said. “They might wake up if we do.”

“Let’s go to my house,” Fabian said. “No one will bother us there.”

“Yeah, and then we can figure out what to do.” Fig helped Ayda to her and feet and together they left for Fabian’s house.


	20. Chapter 20

Fabian’s house was enormous. A mansion on the much nicer side of town that took up more space than the four people who lived there needed. It was only after running into Gilear that Ayda found out he was dating Fabian’s mom. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Fabian grumbled.

Fig snickered and said, “He’s just upset because no one could ever live up to dear old dad in his eyes.”

“It’s not just that. Have you  _ seen _ Gilear? Like, at all? My mom could do so much better.”

Though Fabian seemed like he had a lot to say on the matter, they didn’t spend much time dawdling. They hustled to his room, picked a spot, and hunkered down to read.

They spent the day reading, only interrupted by the maid Cathilda, who brought in snacks around sunset and made sure they had proper lighting.

One by one, a little after midnight, they all finished their books. Riz, Fabian, and Gorgug were laid back in Fabian’s bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, their books on their stomach. Kristen, Tracker, and Ragh were against the wall side by side, leaning heavily on one another, staring blankly ahead. Ayda, Fig, and Adaine cuddled on the couch, their books idly in their laps as they stared out the window.

It wasn’t that something was really wrong. In fact, Ayda was sure then everyone was fine—they were all just stunned. The journal had mentioned past lives, but Ayda couldn’t begin to imagine how much bigger it would be. She had lived a lot of life and so much was swirling around in Ayda’s head. She didn’t know how to process it all, so she stared out the window instead.

Adaine broke the silence first. “Aelwen is a bitch in all worlds apparently.”

“You love her though,” Gorgug said.

“It’s tragic.” She turned her head, grabbing her book. “At least we have some idea of what we’re up against.”

“Magic and spells and inhuman strength—” Riz sat up, his book sliding off his stomach. “How are we going to keep up with that?”

“We have magic,” she said. “Not that we really know how to use it, but Ayda and I can do weird, impossible things. Not just that, but we’ve done things that shouldn’t have been possible since we met.”

“I think all of us might be able to do impossible magic,” Ayda said.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure, but I think having their consciousness within us is like… It’s like it’s leaking their essence into us and that’s a catalyst for it.”

“I guess that could be, but how did you get there?” Riz asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong it would make a lot of sense.”

“The gala wasn’t the first time I’d caught fire. When I was eight, I got angry with my classmate. I don’t quite remember, but she was making fun of me about something and I was tired of it and so angry. I didn’t want to hurt her, I just wanted to make sure she never came near me again. But when she pushed me into a wall, she screamed and I realized my chest had caught on fire, burning her hands. I didn’t know how to put it out so I ran and hid until the fire went. I didn’t get in trouble for it because there was no proof and I didn’t tell anyone about it.

“The reason I think that might be the case is that one of… my other self’s past lives had abandoned her life and given everything I know about my own mother, I think she did what they’re doing. She put herself into my mother for a time. By rights she should have died in the fire preceding my birth from the actual flames, but that wasn’t what killed her. And then there’s me. If it was just this Ayda, then what happened when I was eight wouldn’t have.”

“But that would imply that anyone exposed to magic would be genetically predisposed to pass it on to their kids and so on. Magic should be a known factor.”

“Maybe,” Tracker said. “But given what it took for any of us to develop magic, it feels like it would just be super rare.”

“I suppose that’s true. Would Kalvaxas be in the same situation as us? A powerful dragon king rooming with a powerful mafia leader?”

“Maybe,” Adaine said. “From what I read, it seemed like this was all a very quick scheme that Arthur came up with, so I don’t see how Kalvaxas would be able to. On the other hand, if he was somehow clever enough to do the same thing, then I suggest we be as careful as possible.”

Tracker sat up, pushing off the wall. “Let’s not over think. What we need to do right now is get that watch from Kalvaxas. It was on him at the gala, right?”

“I believe so,” Ayda nodded. “There was a metal chain that looked like it belonged to a pocket watch. I didn’t get a great look at it.”

“He works there, right?”

“Sort of. He lives in Leviathan because there is nowhere else he can really attempt to rebuild himself, but he doesn’t necessarily work. He weighs in on the city council and works close to the parks department, but he doesn’t have a job. Finding him in one specific place would be difficult.”

“Did you talk about anything important before you went after Fig?” Adaine asked. “You said you talked to him, didn’t you?”

“Jamina mentioned he was thinking of expanding the library. If that were the case, he’d need to get approval and work with city planners to start.” Ayda paused, thinking back to the conversation. “He did say that if I had any suggestions for the expansion, I could tell him.”

Riz lit up. “That could be our way in. If you manage to get close to him, then Gorgug could go with you and figure out a way to track his phone. And if we know where he lives, we can plan another heist.”

“Love that idea,” Ragh said. “But you got hurt bad last time.”

“We’ll plan better.” Riz said, zooming over the fact that he clearly still bandaged and hurting. “I won’t do it this time.”

“Let’s get info first,” Fig said. “Ayda can go talk to him, see if she can glean anything from it. Start small.”

“I can do that,” Ayda said. “Jamina seems to know him fairly well and if I have to, I can ask my father. He knows most everyone in Leviathan.”

There was silence for a moment, but Kristen said, “I vote we take the rest of the night to raid the kitchen and watch movies.”

“Seconded,” Tracker said, quickly hauling Kristen to her feet and started to the door.

“Hey, wait,” Fabian scooted out of bed, ready to give chase. “Don’t mess up my kitchen, Cathilda just cleaned it.”

Adaine laughed, following them out along with Gorgug, Ragh, and Riz. Ayda and Fig were the last out, listening to pounding footsteps of Kristen as the light-footed Fabian ran after her.


	21. Chapter 21

Ayda spent the next three days (she didn’t have to work as much since Rawlins hired two more people two weeks ago and Arthur was excited that she was off having an adventure) at Mordred Manor keeping a low profile with Sandra Lynn who was against Ayda sharing a room with Fig. The thought of it made Ayda so flustered her hair almost caught fire and agreed to stay in Kristen’s room.

Considering she snuck out to Tracker’s room every night, it was fine.

Riz went home to spend time with his mom and almost got found out on their last day. He shuffled into Kristen’s room and flopped on the bed, disrupting Kristen and Tracker who were cuddling, looking like he’d seen a ghost and just barely lied his way out of her seeing how bad it really was.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more scare of my mom grounding me than I was when she saw the bandage,” he sighed. “Glad she had to leave before she could question me more.”

“And here I thought you didn’t lie to her,” Kristen laughed.

“I don’t like to, but I need to see this through. And, weirdly, its healed very fast.”

Kristen held up a peace sign, grinning. “Power of a cleric, baby!”

“Double clerics,” Tracker said, taking Kristen’s hand. “Bet now they can’t beat us.”

“Maybe you can take a look at Aelwen when they get back,” Adaine said. She was sitting cross-legged against the wall, staring intensely at something she was sewing. “I know they’re sword fighting, but she always comes home with new bruises and he doesn’t.”

“Fabian can sword fight?” Ayda asked.

“His mom is a world-famous fencer and his father was master swordsmen—” she stopped sewing a moment to air quote “—for the art.” She picked up her sewing again, rolling her eyes. “That was the public reason. He was in the mafia and that was just his signature. He taught Fabian everything he knew and when he died, Hallariel took over to train him more. Aelwen took an interest as part of her physical therapy. And whenever they can, they go to his house to train.”

“She threatened to impale him on his dad’s sword one time,” Kristen snickered. “It was their last fight before they broke up.”

The door swung open and Fig and Gorgug walked in, eyes alight with glee. They’d just gotten done practicing. Fig plopped down next to Ayda, their shoulders pressed together. “Are we talking about their train wreck of a relationship?”

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t,” Riz mumbled from the bed. “Can we talk about what time we’re leaving instead?”

“Whenever you wake up,” Adaine said. “That’s when we’ll leave.”

As it was, Riz woke up around four thirty in the morning and woke everyone who grumpily got dressed for the long ride back to Leviathan.

Gorgug, Fabian, Kristen, Tracker, and Ragh packed themselves into the van while everyone packed into Ayda’s car, waving goodbye to Sandra Lynn who was on her way to work. She hugged everyone, Ayda included, and warned them to stay out of trouble. “I don’t know what you’re up to, and I can’t stop you, but please be careful. And don’t be afraid to call us if you need us.”

“We will,” Adaine promised. “Take care!”

Together they set off, taking turns sleeping and driving until finally Ayda had called it a night and gone to sleep next to Fig in the backseat. It had been a few hours of nothing, too restless to sleep deep enough to meet her other self in dream, but enough to be woken up by Riz hitting her with an old wrapper to wake her up.

“Your phone is ringing.”

She leaned over a bit, trying not to wake Fig as she reached into her pocket. It was late at night haven taken a few pit stops for bathroom breaks and eating, so everyone else was asleep except for Fabian driving the van behind them.

The number was unfamiliar, but anyone calling this late at night must need something.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Ayda.” The voice that came through the phone was soft but set her edge as it registered who she was talking to, his voice normally boisterous and grating. In the front seat, Riz’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. She turned the volume up.

“Hello, Captain.”

He chuckled. “Such hostilities. I have a favor to ask of you.”

“No.”

She went to hang up, but his voice—still so soft—floated through the speaker: “Your father’s life depends on it.”

Her knuckles went white around her seatbelt. “What do you know of my father?”

“Oh, nothing much. Only that if you do me this favor, it will stay that way.”

She was quiet for a moment. Arthur, despite his age, was still quite strong. He could hold his own in a fight and was the reason Ayda herself could fight. He was also an intelligent man who could get himself out of almost any situation. That still didn’t stop her heart from racing.

Riz made eye contact with her, but what he wanted to convey, she couldn’t tell.

“What is it you want? I’ll tell you my decision after I know.”

“Always the knowledge seeker. It’s nothing much. Goldenhoard will come into the library and ask you to be his personal assistant. I need you to say yes.”

“What do you gain from it?”

He chuckled and said, “I get to inconvenience an old friend. The choice is yours. Choose wisely.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one I'm sorry, but good news! I'm going back to posting weekly instead of bi-weekly. Wildly, this story has an end I managed to find my way there, so thank you to everyone who's stuck it out with me so far!

Though there wasn’t much time left in the night, she didn’t sleep well. Not deep enough to see her other self, but much too light to be well rested. Arthur questioned her about it as they ate breakfast, noting that normally she didn’t have much trouble sleeping.

She didn’t know how to lie, or more accurately, she didn’t know how to lie believably. So instead she told the truth. “I’m worried about you.”

He looked up from his phone, brow raised. “Me? What could you possibly be worried about?”

“Your health,” she said quietly. Arthur meant everything to her.  Garthy was there for her and helped raise her as her mother died, but Arthur was the one she took her first steps toward. Arthur was the one she came crying to when she was hurt or confused. Arthur was the one who stayed by her when she got sick with pneumonia, leaving work for days to make sure she was getting better. Her chest ached with the thought of anything happened to him.

She grabbed her bag, standing from the kitchen table. “I must leave. See you later.”

“You as well, dear.”

She arrived on time, but loitered in front of the building, trying to calm herself. If she got too irritated there was a high chance she’d catch fire and she didn’t want to deal with the repercussions. After a few deep breaths, she opened the door—only to see Goldenhoard standing at the front desk, chatting with Rawlins. Her hands caught fire and she quickly shook them out, approaching the two of them.

Rawlins turned and smiled. “Morning, Ayda. I assume you know Mr. Goldenhoard?”

“We’ve met.”

He turned to face her, dark eyes looking her over, but she met his gaze with her own dark eyes. He smiled, then started to walk away, gesturing for her to follow. She looked at Rawlins, who shrugged and went back to his computer.

As she followed him, she thought back to her conversation with the others before they got to the hotel. “Can you do this?” Riz had asked her, tapping his fingers against the wheel. “I’m not saying you  shouldn’t—your dad’s safety is top priority. But being near Kalvaxas all the time would be stressful and you tend to catch fire when that happens.”

“I’ve been trying to control it better,” Ayda said. “But it might become a problem.”

“I’m concerned about Whitclaw,” Adaine said. “He can’t be up to anything good.”

“True,” Fig said. “But we haven’t broken into crime scenes to  _ not _ investigate what he’s up to.”

“You’ve broken into crime scenes?” Ayda asked.

“Several,” Adaine said. “Riz you’ll have to come along to make sure we don’t get caught.”

“I think Fig can handle that—we also need to see what Kalvaxas is up to. I can take another group to investigate  Klavaxas .”

“If I can get his schedule,” Ayda said, “I can make that easier for you all.”

There was a small pause. “We can help protect your dad, Ayda,” Fig said, placing a hand on her leg. “I know he can take care of himself, but we’ll do everything we can to help.”

That last sentiment came back to her as they climbed to the second floor and Kalvaxas sat heavily at one of the tables. Seeing that it was still early, they had the floor to themselves. He smiled and gestured at the seat in front of him. She almost stayed standing out of defiance, but instead set her bag on the table and sat.

“You seemed to have had a rough night at the gala,” he said. “You ran out so quickly I was worried.”

“My friend was in trouble,” she said. “I went to help her. Do you want something from me?”

“Yes. I don’t get up this early for my health,” he chuckled. “I would like you to be my personal assistant. My last one… quit. I deal with a lot and you, from what I’ve heard, are very capable and organized.” He leaned forward; hands folded on the table as he smiled with too many teeth. “I feel as though it would be mutually beneficial.”

Ayda paused and for a moment she thought of refusing. She didn’t want to play into  Whitclaw’s hands and she certainly didn’t want to be any closer to Kalvaxas than needed. But the risk of her father’s life was too great and she nodded, unsure of what she would say if she opened her mouth.

“Very good.” He pulled out his phone, looking down. “Come to my office later today after you’re done here. We’ll get you started on something simple.”

Ayda stood, ready to leave and let the flames under her skin breathe the heat that was boiling in her, but he called her name as her foot hit the steps.

His eyes flicked up, pinning her to the spot. “Fetch me the book Rawlins was holding for me. I think I’d like to read it now.”

She barely held back a sneer. “Of course.”


	23. Chapter 23

Near the edges of the city, far to the west and away from the Golden Gardens, stood Goldenhoard’s office. What had been the dilapidated building of the former megacorporation that had failed to really take off, was now a premium spot for otherwise shady businesses to land. At the very top was his office, overlooking the city and sea.

No one in the building stopped her as she headed to the elevator, only the receptionist handing her a key card and ID that would allow her in his office.

She pretended not to notice Fabian sweet-talking the other woman at the desk.

His office was well-furnished, almost looking like it came out of a magazine. Not a speck of dust or dirt, only tasteful knickknacks on his desks and fine paintings.

He leaned over his desk, a large wooden thing that looked sturdy enough to hold his bulk with ease, while writing something quickly as Ayda stood in front of him.

“Ah, you’re very timely.”

“I came as soon as I was done.”

“Good, good,” he said, his tone dismissive as he folded up an envelope and held it out. She took it cautiously. “It won’t bite, Ayda. I need you to deliver this to a young man named Johnny Spells. You’ll find him in the old factory warehouse not far from here. He owes me. If he refuses to pay, then…” He trailed off, eyes rolling up in thought as he shrugged and said, “…convince him by any means necessary.”

Ayda frowned. “I’m not going to use violence or force.”

He laughed. “You work for me now, Ayda. You’ll do whatever I say.” The _or else_ was left off that sentence, but they both knew it was there. “Give it to him personally. Don’t hand it off to any of his lackeys.”

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. If she wasn’t careful, she would torch his office before she could get anything done. “Fine. Anything else?”

“No. That’ll be all for today. Come back early tomorrow. You don’t have the be at the library, right?”

She was already walking away, shoving the note into her bag, wondering what she would have to do to make sure the meeting with Johnny Spells went smoothly.

“One more thing!” he called after her. “Take that necklace off. He doesn’t take well to the Golden Gardens.”

The warehouse was one of many that had been used years ago but went out of business and fallen into disuse. While she had never been over here much herself, she knew from the way Garthy talked about it, many unsavory types used it as a base.

She parked and sighed, taking off her necklace and shoving it into her pocket before getting out. Two people were standing around front, arms crossed and looking down at her. Or trying to, considering they were both a couple inches shorter than her.

“Can we help you?”

“Goldenhoard sent me.” As soon as his name passed through her lips, they stiffened, the color draining from their faces.

“Wh-What does her want?”

“I don’t know. He asked me to give this to Johnny Spells. Personally.”

They both shared a look as if debating something and turned to open the door, leading her inside. The inside was strange to say the least. It was still clearly a rundown old factory, but it had been decorated on top of that. It was dusted and clean with lights and several couches, but the ceiling was still crumbling and behind where they had carved out their area was old machines and trash.

Lounging on these couches were several men, all in the same jackets with a similar look of disdain as she walked with the other two. At the end was a man with short black hair a light scar on his cheek sitting a small table, tapping a pencil against a piece of paper.

The man on her left cleared his throat. “Hey, uh, Johnny.”

Johnny looked up, clearly agitated. “What it is Martin?”

“She’s from Kalvaxas. She’s got a letter for you.”

Johnny glanced at the two of them before settling on Ayda. She didn’t have the energy to be bothered by his glower as he waited for her to give him the letter. She watched as his expression changed from pissy to fearful to angry. He crumpled the letter and threw it to the side. “Tell him to go fuck himself.”

“I can’t leave until you pay.”

“Well, you can go fuck yourself, too. I’m not paying him anything. Get her out of here.”

She didn’t mean to do what happened next. In fact, she was as surprised as Johnny’s lackeys when her entire body caught fire, burning their hands as they grabbed her arms. She was even more surprised when her fire burned brighter, engulfing them both as they screamed and ran from her. Johnny stood, shocked and scared as he backed away.

There were more people screaming behind her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She hadn’t meant to catch fire or for those two to be caught in it, but it was too late for that now. Right now, she needed him to pay up.

“Who— What _are_ you?”

She frowned. If anyone had asked her that, she would have been offended. Normally when people asked her that they were asking about the specificities of her race. They nosily wanted details she couldn’t and didn’t want to give. But the way Johnny looked at her, she knew he didn’t care about that.

She took a step forward, placing her hands on his desk. The fire moved swiftly, covering the surface, burning whatever papers he had been working on. She leaned forward, the flames flaring high as Johnny backed up against an old piece of machinery. “I’m no one. Pay up.”


	24. Chapter 24

Ayda ran into Whitclaw on her way out of the building, his big smile aimed at the receptionist Fabian had been talking to early.

“Ayda!” he smiled. “Didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

She didn’t stop as she headed toward the door. “Leave me be, Whitclaw.”

He followed her close behind, grabbing her arm before she could open the door. She ripped it away as he said, “Saw your dad earlier today.”

“What?”

“I knew that’d get your attention. He was at the college, teaching his quantum theory or whatever.”

“You said—”

“I know what I said.” He stepped forward and though he wasn’t taller than her (they were the same height), it felt like he was towering over her. His voice was soft as he whispered in her ear, “Be polite to Goldenhoard, Ayda dear. We don’t want him firing you, now do we?”

She bit her lip so as not to scream. She was getting very, _very_ tired of being threatened. Normally when people threatened her, either being rude or being a bully, she ignored them. They weren’t worth her time or energy. But her dad’s life was on the line with Whitclaw and everyone else’s lives were on the line if she didn’t get close enough to Goldenhoard.

“Do we?” Whitclaw repeated.

“No,” she gritted out. “No, we don’t.”

He stepped back, no longer smiling. “Glad we have an understanding. Be safe on your way out.” He walked past her, walking out the door.

She stayed where she was, dropping to the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs, and pressing her forehead to her knees. She took a deep breath. And then another and another until she didn’t feel like she would start crying from frustration. Or maybe it was anger or fear or something she couldn’t name. Something big and heavy and—

A hot hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up to see her reflection. At least, until she realized the other Ayda was in front of her. They were both squatting, but this over version of her was still bigger.

She smiled. “Hello, Ayda.”

“How are you here?”

She shrugged, looking around. They weren’t in the Compass Points Library like last time. They didn’t seem to be anywhere really—just an empty white void. “I’m not sure. You’re not asleep and you’re not near my body. Are you alright?”

“No. My father will be in danger if I don’t do as Whitlclaw says and work for Kalvaxas but being near both of them makes my blood boil.”

“I see. That would be incredibly stressful.”

“I also have little control of flames and have to force myself to keep calm so I don’t burn the people and things around me. It’s exhausting.”

She nodded. “It can be exhausting not being able to relax. But this won’t last forever. It always feels like everything is happening at once and that it will always feel this way, but it won’t. You’ll have your life back with less fear and stress.”

“It’s all so overwhelming. How do you deal with this?”

“It’s just my life. Every day I deal with pirates who would be just as happy to kill me as share a drink with me. I deal with theft and murder as my day to day—for you, who has not had to deal with these atrocities until now, it’s not surprising you’re finding it difficult to handle.”

“I wish it was easier.”

“It will be as time goes on. You are handling remarkably well despite your stress.”

Ayda sighed, looking down. “I’m trying so hard.”

“I know. I’m not privy to much in here—mostly your subconscious feeling and thoughts. But I can feel your anger and fear and pain. It’s difficult to keep all of that under wraps as carefully as you. I’m proud of you.”

Ayda looked up again, but she was back in the office, the receptionists looking at her with concern. She took a deep breath, stood, and headed home.


	25. Chapter 25

There was very little time between the library and Kalvaxas for Ayda to talk to everyone else. The library was oddly busy, Rawlins training her on the system and putting her in charge of the new hires. None of them seemed to know what they were doing and took up almost all of her time.

With Kalvaxas, he sent her on endless errands all across the city, even sometimes as far as the Red Waste once to request help from some he used to know.

Alston Hughes was one of the many people who seemed to have vanished after Kalvaxas been taken down. He had gotten off because he’d been good at covering his tracks with his involvement with the bank Kalavaxas had been running and had been keeping a low profile. Kalvaxas knew where he’d be hiding out and sent Ayda on the three day drive it took to get there.

He lived in a pretty suburb in the heart of the Red Waste. Most of the houses were sweeping and grand and looked like a copy and paste of the one next to it. The lawns were manicured and seemed to have been freshly done when Ayda rolled to a stop in front of the largest house at the end of the street.

A young man answered the door, maybe a few years younger than herself, and looked up with surprise. “Oh. I thought you were the delivery person.”

“I’m afraid not. Is Alton here?”

“Uh, who’s asking?”

“Ayda. Kalvaxas sent me.”

His eyes widened and he went pale. “He’s not here. He hasn’t lived here in years.” The words sounded rushed and practiced as he went to close the door.

“I can’t leave until I talk to him. I don’t want to bother you, but I’m also not leaving.”

Her eyes lit on fire and he stumbled back, turned, and ran. Ayda took that as her invitation to come inside and closed the door behind her. The house was a nice as the outside and tastefully decorated much like Kalvaxas’s office. But unlike the office, it had signs it was lived in. There was a hamper sitting right outside one of the doors and dirty dishes on the counter next to the sink. The throw blanket on one of the couches was laying unfolded, likely having been the blanket the boy was using before he answered the door.

Heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs and she heard the click of a gun. She turned to see a shaking woman with a gun leveled at her. She was the spitting image of the boy—same dark hair and steely green eyes. She looked terrified but determined. “What do you want from us?” she asked.

Ayda kept her hands visible. “I’m here to see Alton Hughes. Kalvaxas requests his help.”

She frowned. “He doesn’t have anything to do with that man anymore. He worked at the bank without realizing who he was working for. He was scared.”

“Ma’am, I’m not here to hurt you. I just need an answer.” Ayda took a step forward and preemptively ducked left—lucky for her as Mrs. Hughes squeezed the trigger and shot the wall behind Ayda. The recoiled kicked her hands up and it was enough for Ayda to move forward, grabbed the gun from her hands.

Mrs. Hughes squealed and clutched her hands to her chest, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

“My father’s life is in danger,” Ayda said softly, putting the safety on and setting the gun down gently on an end table. “If I don’t do as he says, it’s possible that he may die.”

Mrs. Hughes looked shocked and took a step back. “Your dad… Is he in debt? If that’s the case then we can help with that.”

“It’s not something money can solve. Tell me truthfully, do you believe Alton had nothing to do with Kalvaxas?”

She paused, eyeing the gun before bringing her gaze back to Ayda. “I know he was heavily involved. That he managed so much of his finances and Kalvaxas trusted him. I just… I know that if he heard Kalvaxas was looking for him, he’d go back and I-I just can’t do that Jeremy. Not again.”

Ayda looked around the house, at all the little pictures and knickknacks that cluttered the living room and walls. At the picture of all three of them sitting on the end table. At the dirty dishes next to the sink.

“He doesn’t need to know I was here, if you want.” Ayda knew it was stupid. That it was less than a good idea but seeing her so scared, yet determined. It was enough for Ayda to take that risk. She was a bad liar, but for them she’d figure it out. “I can say he moved away and no one knows where he went.”

A shaky smiled formed. “You would do that? For us? What about your dad?”

“He doesn’t go down easy and Kalvaxas already suspected that this lead might not have legs.” She looked at the bullet hole in the wall. “It won’t be easy to explain that away.”

Her smile widened and she launched herself at Ayda. At first Ayda thought she was attacking, but quickly realized she was just hugging her. Mrs. Hughes pushed Ayda away, still gripping her shoulders. “I’ll think of something. Thank you, girl. _Thank you!_ It means _everything_. We worked too hard to get pulled back now.”

“I’m sorry to have barged in on your afternoon. And tell Jeremy I’m sorry for scaring him.”

After that she left, driving away as neighbors looked from their windows and lawns. Ayda stopped in a store parking lot, trying to breathe. She leaned her seat all the way back and stared at her ceiling until she felt solid enough to drive back and deal with Kalvaxas’s inevitable fit.

-!-

He was, unsurprisingly, less than happy when she returned empty handed, yelling and throwing things—none of which hit her but came close. She was left to clean his office once his fit ended.

Between dealing with his moods and errands, and more responsibilities at the library, Ayda hardly had time for herself let alone another person.

Three weeks passed before she was able to have sufficient time off and energy to see anyone. Under normal circumstances she would have been thrilled to spend down time with Garthy. It had been so long since she had gotten to listen to Garthy talk about whatever grabbed their attention. Their voice was so calm and soothing, they never failed to ease her stress.

As it was, they were angry as Ayda walked into their house. For the first time in weeks Ayda was wearing her Golden Gardens necklace again, free to walk around as she pleased. Word had gotten to Garthy not long after she set foot in the place and was quickly escorted to their house.

They were sitting in their living room, lounging on the couch while smoking, brow knit in frustration and blowing soft smoke rings. They smiled when she walked in. “It’s good to see you again, love.”

“It’s good to see you as well. I wish I had more free time.”

“Yes,” they frowned. “About your time. I hear you haven’t been using it wisely.”

Ayda’s heart sank. She had been hoping this visit would be light. “Is this about Kalvaxas?”

“Of course. You know what he’s like. Why are you working for him?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Oh, darling, I live and breathe complicated. I’m sure I could understand.

Ayda held in a sigh, wondering how she would go about telling them her reason for working with Kalvaxas. Could she start with the letter? Maybe tell them about the other world? Would it even be helpful? Could Ayda really bring someone she cared about into a situation like this?

Ayda stood, knowing she could not and would not lie them. “I won’t tell you.”

“Won’t?” They leaned forward, reaching out a worried hand to take hers. “Ayda, lovey, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Well, why not?”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” she repeated. “Can we talk about something else?”

They frowned, standing. Ayda hadn’t really noticed before, but they were shorter than her. Garthy placed a hand on her cheek. “Darling I’m worried for you. Do you truly wish not to speak on this?”

“No,”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to figure it out myself.”

“Garthy, please. I can handle with this myself—”

“Well, if you’re working with Kalvaxas it’s hard to believe that you can handle anything.”

“I _can_. And I have been.” Ayda squeezed their hand before letting go. “I don’t have much time to myself and I wanted spend it with you. I can’t do that if you keep asking.”

“Ayda, I…” They sighed, sitting back down on the couch. “I won’t ask you again, but I can make no promises to not interfere.”

Ayda grabbed her bag. “Then I’ll leave. It was nice to see you again, Garthy.”

“And you as well, love.”

She left their house feeling heavy, walking the streets of the Gardens. Garthy always looked out for her and she knew they were only doing it because they cared, but having someone with Garthy’s resources going after Kalvaxas…

“Ayda!” She turned, seeing a flash of colored hair and a wide smile as Fig launched herself into Ayda’s arms. They spun in a circle, and she laughing for what the first time in long time. She set Fig down and she grabbed Ayda’s face, placing little kisses all over until her face was hot. “I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“I know. I’m sorry.” While they had all been texting to keep in touch, Ayda had only seen them in passing, never having enough time to stop and talk to them. Tracker, Kristen, Riz, and Fabian had been doing their own investigation of Kalvaxas with the information Ayda had been able to give them. They were close to working out a plan around his schedule, but it was so varied that it was hard to pin down much of anything. On the other front, Adaine, Fig, Gorgug, and Ragh had been tailing Whitclaw, gathering information about him. So far it was all seemingly random comings and goings with different people and places. Gorgug was trying to get into his personal information, but his security was difficult and information was scattered.

Still, all of them had more time than she did which was probably why they were all walking around the Gardens. Fig took her hand and pressed their shoulders together. “Why didn’t you tell us you were heading over?”

“I went to visit Garthy first, but the visit didn’t last as long as I’d hoped.”

“Did something happen?”

“Garthy knows I’m working for Kalvaxas and is going to look into it. If Garthy starts digging then they could make things more difficult for us.”

Fig squeeze her hand. “Well, why don’t you come eat with us and relax? It’s stressful working with him isn’t it?”

“I want to set him on fire every day.”

Fig snorted as she laughed, leading Ayda into restaurant. At a table in the back, everyone was seated, rowdy and loud. Gorgug lit up as he laid eyes on Ayda, throwing up a cheer as everyone else turned to see her. It was weird to have them so happy to see her. It was rare that she had one person happy to see her let alone eight. It was enough to make her blush.

They walked to the table, stealing a chair from another table as they drew the two of them into the conversation, sharing food and love and laughter over the table.


	26. Chapter 26

One more hellish week later and Ayda finally had time to relax. Sort of.

At the beginning the week she had crashed into their hotel room, startling Adaine and Riz, the only two in the room, by saying, “I know when we can take the watch.”

Adaine, the least startled, asked, “What are you talking about?”

“There’s a gathering of the most powerful people on this side of the cost. It’ll be held at his house near the coast, and it’s where Kalvaxas plans on making more alliances to build himself back up. This Saturday he won’t be leaving the city because he wants to make sure it all goes well. I’ll be there to because I’ve handled all the other arrangements. It starts at seven and should last through most of the night.”

Riz nodded and she could see him starting to put something together. “That’s good. A crowded place with lots of people. Criminals, but still people who have nothing against us.”

“And we’ve been gathering info on him for almost a month at this point. Ayda will probably know the warehouses fairly well in time to give us more to work with.”

They locked eyes and smiled, a plan already brewing between them. Ayda had to leave soon after and could hardly find time to talk to them the rest of the week, but they got the plan to her (as much as necessary as she was a bad liar and didn’t want to be the reason it fell apart) while she told them all she could about his house. A rough map, the security, special entrances and exits—with Kalvaxas sending her out there every day to help plan it was simple.

And now it was Saturday night, and she was sort of relaxed, leaned against of the food tables with Fig at her side (“Invite a date, Ayda,” he smiled. “I’d hate for you to be alone all evening.”). She was relaxed only because Fig was next to her, but on high alert for when the plan started to move. It had been an hour and a half and the sun was almost set.

“Are you ready?” Fig asked.

“I supposed. There isn’t much that I know about honestly.”

“I could tell you when—”

“Ayda Aguefort!” Whitclaw was coming over, big smile on his face and crushing sense déjà vu washed over her. “And here I thought I wouldn’t see you anytime soon.”

“I’m required to be here,” she said, looking past him to where Fabian was standing stiffly next to Riz. Through means no one could figure out, though likely the same way he got Ayda’s, Whitclaw called Fabian to personally ask him to come to the event and bring a date if he so chose. No one knew why he asked Fabian to be there, but it was more than likely to do something unsavory. Everyone was prepared to fight for Fabian if it came down to it. “You saw to that.”

He chuckled, looking at Fig who left to take a lap around the room. “Feisty one you’ve got there. I bet she’s a keeper.”

“Would you like something from me, Captain?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were enjoying yourself. These functions can be so boring.”

“I’m working, Captain. I don’t—” Her phone went off, saving her from the conversation as she answered, “Hello?”

“The rest of the food has been delayed.”

“Why?” She started to the kitchen. “What happened?”

“We’re— We’re not sure. We just got a phone call that the food would be delayed by about thirty minutes, but the money would be refunded for it.”

“Goldenhoard doesn’t care if he’s refunded. Tell that driver to get here no matter what it cost.” The food in question was a special order for the King—she was elusive and hardly ever showed her face. She had very specific tastes, and if she was pleased with Kalvaxas, that boosted his chances of getting back in his old game significantly. They _needed_ this food to get here. If Ayda had to sit through another one of his fits, she’d set him on fire consequences be damned.

As soon as she entered the living room again, Kalvaxas was on her. He looked like he was desperately trying to keep his cool, but the ticking vein on his temple said otherwise. “There you are. Where are the caterers?”

“They’ve been delayed by half an hour.”

His eyes got wide as he took a deep breath. “The King has just arrived and they want to eat right now.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can—” Her phone went off again, and she turned away from him. “Hello?”

“The catering van in here. We don’t have enough hands to get the food out in time.”

“What about the delay?”

“I don’t know, but please help us get this out or Goldenhoard will kill all of us.”

She hung up, rolling up the sleeves of her suit. “The food is here now. I’ll get it out as soon as possible.”

He grabbed her arm, squeezing so hard she might have bruised. “Do not fuck this up.”

“I’m bringing out food, Goldenhoard.” He let go of her arm and she fixed the sleeve. Across the room she made eye contact with Fig and subtly shook her head. “I’m not going to do anything to it.”

She went to the kitchen, ignoring the throbbing in her arm. If they had to fight him head on it would be trouble. Hopefully, they had some sort of counter to it, otherwise it would be detrimental.

In the kitchen staff was hustling to and from the van, preparing for it to be transported to the tables. There was a mad rushing back-and-forth as Ayda quickly moved into the hustle. She barely blinked as she moved quickly, carefully placing the food and directing the other staffers.

“Put that— _No_. Put it there with the charcutier.” Out of the corner of her eye she almost thought she saw a flash of orange hair, but when she turned to look, it was gone. Was Kristen already here?

There was a rush of movement to her right and Fig yelled, “Look here rich fucks!” drawing attention to herself and raising one hand in the air, her guitar pick gleaming red. Her hand slammed down, striking a loud, shrieking cord—where she had gotten her bass from Ayda couldn’t be sure. There was a clamor as everyone covered their ears, but Kalvaxas seemed to take the most damage, bending over in pain.

Guards started moving, making a line for Fig as she hit another cord, this one less damaging. As Fig was gearing up for another, Kalvaxas’s arm snaked out, grabbing onto someone. Riz cried out in pain, his shoulder trapped, and threw something silver through the air to Fig. She caught it, but the guards closed in and she threw it hard across the room. “Fabian!”

Ayda tracked the object as it flew toward Fabian across the room, who looked less than prepared. He fumbled, almost dropping it before clutching it to his chest.

There was a moment where no one seemed to move. Where Fabian glanced at Riz, still held captive by Kalvaxas, and Fig, being man handled by guards. His gaze finally landed on Ayda, standing behind the food tables, a plate of cheese wobbling in her hands.

Ayda was flung back to Fig on the roof. Where Fig took that step back and she was frozen in fear and confusion. She wouldn’t let that stop her this time. She leaned over the table as her hair caught fire and yelled, “Run!”


	27. Chapter 27

Fabian was fast, slipping past partiers with the pocket watch clutched to his chest and making his way toward one of the side doors. No doubt someone was waiting for him. 

Kalvaxas let out a loud, guttural scream, and everyone took a step back from him before turning to run. Riz’s arms were still tight in his grip and from the grimace on Riz’s face it was likely tighter than the one he stopped Ayda with. Fig was backing slowly, eyes darting back and forth to find some kind of exit. 

Ayda jumped over the table, shoving people out of her way as they yelped at her hair aflame. Fig was getting ready to use her bass as a weapon and Riz was being hoisted up by his shoulder, legs kicking. Ayda went toward Kalvaxas first, drawing her fist back, fire kicking off to give her more force as she slammed into his wrist. He dropped Riz, roaring in pain as Ayda grabbed Riz by the legs as he dropped and they backed to the table. She set him down and said, “Find Kristen and get out of here.”

“All the doors are blocked. And what about you and Fig—” He was cut off as Ayda sensed heat behind them and tackled Riz to the ground, shielding him from the inferno Kalvaxas sent in the direction. He winced as his shoulder slammed against a fallen table.

Fig’s voice drew their attention as she yelled, “Hey, Goldenrod!” and screamed, the sound washing over them, thunderous and shocking. When they looked over, one guard was on the ground bleeding from his head and the other was in the fetal position, covering his ears. Kalvaxas was looking back and forth between Ayda and Fig as if he couldn’t decide what to do next, but settled his gaze on Ayda.

She rolled off of Riz, flipping to her feet and bracing herself. “We have this covered. Hide.”

She held her stance, hoping Riz had scrambled off as Kalvaxas rushed her, and as he got closer, she was sure he was growing in size until he towered over her, his fist the size of her head. She ducked down, rolling out of his way as he lumbered, overwhelmed by his new body, and slammed into the door. Fig looked at Ayda, fear and confusion mingling on her face. Ayda shrugged; she was as confused as Fig.

Their silent conversation ended as Kalvaxas stood, his bulk taking up more room than should be allowed, his head nearly scraping the ceiling and his suit in tatters as it stretched to accommodate his new form. His eyes glowed purple with rage as he charged forward. Ayda’s body caught fire, her dress and the floor burning as she charged forward, sliding under his arms and between his legs. Fig stood firm, throwing her shattered bass over her shoulder and clapped her hands together, a thundering sound shaking the room. Kalvaxas stumbled, and Ayda jumped up, kicking the back of his knees. He dropped to one knee and roared. Fig jumped back a few steps and Ayda moved away as Riz scurried out of the room.

Ayda’s dress began to fall, and she ripped it off, the flame-resistant clothes Kristen and Adaine had helped make for her underneath. It wasn’t totally fireproof, but it would have to be enough to get her through this. 

Kalvaxas stood, his chest puffing up and let out a breath full of blue-purple fire and Ayda held out her hand, a wall of fire going between Kalvaxas’s fire and Fig. Fig fell back, her arm, shoulder, and part of her hair catching fire and she waved frantically to put it out. The fire spread rapidly around the building, crawling up the walls and to the ceiling. 

Fig patted her hair out, looking more pissed off than scared as she looked back up at him, eyes full of determination as she stepped forward and held her hands up. The air around them seemed to shimmer as an enormous version of herself manifested between Ayda and Kalvaxas with red-tinted skin, horns emerging from her forehead, and a glyph shining in bright flame between the tips of her horns. 

Fig moved toward the door as Kalvaxas stared at the giant warily, unsure if it was there to attack or stand. Ayda cut her eyes between the two, keeping an eye on Fig as she climbed through the rubble, shielding her face from the smoke of the growing fires. She let her eyes drift solely so Fig as Kalvaxas moved and the giant followed. She was so close. Just one more table and they could run.

Fig’s eyes snapped to Kalvaxas for a moment and she sprinted, jumping in the way as Kalvaxas saw the giant for the illusion it was and kicked through it, Ayda as his goal. Fig took the full force in the chest and slammed into Ayda, sending them both crashing through what used to be the door. They hit the ground and rolled, Ayda gasping for the air that had been knocked out of her. And though she was sure she had help on tight, Fig flew past her into a wall so hard that through all the chaos and flame Ayda could swear she heard her bones crack.

Ayda’s clothes were beginning to smolder, and she looked at Kalvaxas, then at Fig as blood began to pool around her and the ceiling’s faltering integrity. One of Fig’s fingers was twitching, and Kalvaxas let out a long laugh. He turned to her and smiled, “Do you really think you and your petty little tricks could get the better of me? You’re all still disgustingly human.”

There was a shift in rubble as the door leading outside was pulled and they both turned to see Kristen, one eye closed as blood rushed from a cut on her head and she held one of her arms close to her body. Behind her, Ayda could see the fleeing, haggard form of her friends. Ragh had Fabian over his shoulder, blood dripping as they ran. Kalvaxas grinned and started toward her.

Ayda froze again. Her breathing heavy and frantic, as if she couldn’t get enough air, and she knew it wasn’t the smoke or the fall. This was too much. She was just a kid. She was just a kid and here she was fighting a man too large to exist with fire escaping from every part of her and all of her friends hurt and unconscious. Kristen was looking to her, question in her eyes Ayda couldn’t understand. She tried to steady her breathing but her fire was spreading more and more around them and if she didn’t move and move _now_ , then Fig would be in trouble. She had to move. Just. Move.

Ayda could barely breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s short but this fight scene killed me and I did my best


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter (and the next) may be confusing and I’m super sorry about that but I’m juggling nine characters and their doubles which is honestly way more than I initially thought I would have to work with because I don’t know what a plan is. I promise I did my best
> 
> With that in mind, please enjoy

White surrounded her. Ayda stood in front of herself, tears of flame falling down her reflection’s face. 

Ayda was still trying to catch her breath, but even in this space she could see Fig’s blood, dark and moving so fast.

Heavy, hot hands landed on her shoulders and squeezed. Ayda looked up, and she was still crying as she said, “I will not allow you to lose your friends. Come to me and I will save you.”

“I can’t—” Ayda gasped. “We don’t have the watch and I-I can’t breathe.”

She squeezed harder. “You must. I know this is a lot to handle, but at least one of you must survive to come back to us.” The white began to fade and Ayda let go. “Don’t think, just move.”

She blinked and was back, Kristen still clutching her arm desperately in the rubble as Kalvaxas moved toward her and Fig bleeding under a table to her left. Ayda’s gaze whipped between the two before she rushed to Kristen, her heart aching as she picked up their cleric, let her flames become wings, and took off into the night.

-!-

Ayda looked over the warehouses as she flew, seeing the flames beginning to spread to other buildings. 

The surrounding area had been packed with cars, but now it was mostly empty save for the few figures she could see scurrying around and—

Ayda dropped from the sky, coming down for a messy landing next to her car. She shifted Kristen and pulled the door open, grateful whoever had been driving her car had left the keys in, and laid Kristen down gently. 

She would have flown to Elmville, Kristen in her arms, but she knew even with how fast she could likely fly, it would take days. They didn’t have days.

She left as quietly as she could, headlights out as she navigated the warehouses she had long since memorized the layout of and once she was out of sight, she turned the lights on, put her foot to the gas, and didn’t let up once in the twelve hour drive.

She pulled up to the school as the sun firmly took its place in the sky. She picked up Kristen, the cut on her head puffy and an angry shade of red. Ayda tried not to think too hard about it.

The door under the bleachers looked like a normal metal door, but as Ayda approached, it changed into the heavy wooden one she had gone through barely a month ago. She nearly fell into it, exhaustion and pain hitting her as she stepped into the room. It looked exactly the same, except Ayda and Kristen were awake.

Ayda set Kristen on the floor, stumbling over to the tank and squinting as her headache pounded and her vision blurred, but she knew what to do. She knew what buttons to press, what words to chant, and as the other Ayda got closer and closer to being free, she felt her consciousness fading until finally the pain subsided and she fainted.

Ayda awoke to overlapping voices and talking, but she couldn’t quite make out the sentences.

“—are you sure—”

“I may not be a wizard here, but I think she—”

“Just hurry up!”

Ayda rolled over and though she was sure she was on the floor, she felt like her world was swaying. 

People were standing around something that was being drawn on the floor. Their figures looked familiar, but there was something off about them. The figure drawing on the floor finally finished and looked up to see Ayda staring. She grinned and Ayda finally recognized her: Adaine.

“You’re awake!” Kristen said, grinning. She was still bloody and bruised, but the cut on her head was gone and the color returned to her face. Ayda pulled her into a crushing hug, thrilled her friend was okay. 

“What’s going on?” She looked closer at everyone, recognizing herself first, the enormous height and imposing flaming wings she had seen so much of in her dreams. She recognized Fig next as the illusion her girlfriend had conjured to face Kalvaxas. Fabian caught her eye next, then Kristen and Tracker. If not for the resemblance to their human counterparts, Ayda wouldn’t have been able to place Riz, Gorgug, and Ragh.

Adaine sat back on her heels, looking down at the circle she’d drawn, with sigils and runes Ayda didn’t understand and couldn’t even begin to in her current state. Adaine put her chalk away and said, “This is a teleportation circle. Your Adaine is also drawing one. Or, at least, she should be.”

She beckoned them into the circle and Kristen— _her_ Kristen—helped her to her feet. They leaned on each other as Adaine stayed kneeling, placing her palms to the circle and chanted in a language Ayda didn’t understand. The runic circle glowed, and she felt weightless for a moment, vertigo making her stomach drop. And then she was in the warehouses again. Adaine lifted her head and on the other side of the circle, _her_ Adaine lifted her head.

Adaine was the only one conscious in the building. Behind her was Gorgug and Tracker, unconscious and nestled under some old machinery. If Ayda hadn’t been looking, she wouldn’t have spotted them. Kristen (both of them) and Tracker moved without speaking, rushing to their side. Adaine stared up at everyone, pale and shaking. “We’re scattered,” she mumbled, swaying. “Kalvaxas is hiding, but he’s going to attack soon.” She blinked hard, then sighed, “Sorry,” and collapsed.

Ayda rushed to catch her before she hit the ground, leaning Adaine against her chest.

“Is it weird that I have a hard time recognizing myself here?” Gorgug asked, peering at his double.

“Maybe? We’ve got other things to worry about,” Riz said. “We need to find everyone so they’re not in danger.”

“I will find them,” Ayda said. “It will take time since I’m unfamiliar with the area, but perhaps this will give us time to plan.” Her wings unfurled, and she flew off to the rafters, leaving a blast of hot air in her wake. Everyone turned to Ayda.

Riz, who was shorter than her Riz though he had seemed taller in the tank, walked up to her. “Can you tell us everything that happened yesterday night, and spare no detail. We have to come up with a plan immediately.”

“Don’t be so aggressive,” Fig said. Ayda looked at her and suddenly couldn’t look away. She was Fig, but not Fig. She moved the same way and spoke the same and enamored Ayda almost the same, but it wasn’t her. Her Fig was somewhere, hurting and alone. This Fig smiled. “Looks like you’re still amazing no matter what universe we’re in.” Ayda blushed, looked at the ground.

Adaine snorted. “You’re not allowed to flirt with her. She’s not your girlfriend.”

“She _is_ my girlfriend technically.”

“Can we please start coming up with a plan?” Riz asked and Ayda grateful for the save. “We don’t want to be caught off guard, and this way we’ll at least kind of know what we’re going to do.”

“Alright, alright,” Fig said, dropping to sit cross-legged. “Let’s hear it, Ayda. What happened last night?”


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the OG Bad Kids have "Other" in front of their names (ex. Other Ayda) to help with the confusion, but honestly it may still be confusing, so, again, I am very sorry about that

Ayda did her best to keep her breathing quiet as they all fanned out. Ayda, the _other_ Ayda, had located everyone and then Kalvaxas. They’d planned their routes around that and headed out, looking for each other. Both Trackers and Other Fig were off to find Fig and Fabian, both Kristen’s, Other Ragh, and Other Riz went to find the hurt Ragh and Riz, while both Ayda’s, both Adaine’s, Other Fabian, and both Gorgug’s went to get the watch. The watch itself was close to the initial warehouse the party had been, which Adaine and Ayda could easily lead them to, but it was farther away than they would have liked. Still, the seven of them trekked on, quiet as they could.

Ayda had wanted to go with Tracker to Fig, but of all the people left, she and Other Ayda were the only ones with long range attacks. The goal was to avoid Kalvaxas as much as possible, if entirely, since they were all rather weak, but they didn’t want to take any chances.

It was going surprisingly well despite having so many people who normally were bad at stealth—Ayda, her double, and both Gorgug’s too large for stealth. It was going so smooth, in fact, that when the unmistakable sound of wood breaking and shattering echoed across the yard, Ayda’s heart jumped so hard she had to stop just to rub her chest from the pain.

In front of her Other Adaine squinted her eyes for a second before saying, “I just got a message from Tracker. Whitclaw found them as Tracker— _our_ Tracker—was healing your Fig and is trying to kill Fabian.”

Other Fabian paled, looking in the direction of the destruction. “I knew he wouldn’t just keep quiet,” he sighed. “This one is more unhinged than the one that wanted to kill me.”

“That just means we have to move faster,” Other Adaine said, her ears twitching. Though Ayda wasn’t as familiar with this Adaine, Ayda knew she was anxious.

“Wait,” Other Fabian said. “I can’t just leave him to Whitclaw. I have to go help.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Other Adaine said, “I’ll tell Tracker you’re on your way. Be careful, Fabian.”

He nodded, looking like he would much rather be doing anything else, and took off.

Everyone else pressed on, keeping to the shadows, and moving as swiftly as they could without making noise.

Perhaps it was because they were all focusing so hard on themselves that when Kalvaxas roared Ayda’s name just ten yards back from where they stood, that they froze in panic. He was larger than he had been last night. His skin was tinged deep red and shiny as the sun reflected off it. His eyes still burned a purplish-blue in the light, his suit almost entirely ripped off as he stood, eyes pinned to Ayda. 

“We’re so close!” Adaine hissed. “We’re so damn close!”

“Go,” Ayda said in unison with her double. They looked at each other and, perhaps for the first time, Ayda understood what someone meant with just a look.

Behind Kalvaxas she could see their friends fighting Whitclaw, his body seeming to have transformed into something grotesque. His skin had turned a pale, scaly purple and his eyes seemed to have sunken into his face, glowing red. Slimy tentacles protruded from his chin, wriggling in the heat of the sun. He held a saber in one hand, with his other hovering over a pistol at his side.

Tracker’s team was wailing on him, both Fabians taking to fighting him with their own swords, with both Trackers and Figs giving support. Other Fabian would lunge, slashing Whitclaw’s chest and be parried. Then Fabian would take the cue to jump in, stabbing and swirling away. Bother Trackers looked like they wanted to jump in, but focused more on healing them when Whitclaw inevitably got a hit in. Both Figs stood back, waiting for opportunities to strike at Whitclaw without harming the Fabians.

As Ayda’s eyes flickered away from their group, she saw the unmistakable forms of the other rescue team careening around the corner. They wasted no time attacking Kalvaxas; the Raghs rushing forward, Other Ragh with a battle axe and her Ragh with just his fists. Other Riz stood back, aiming his arquebus and her Riz with his pistol as they slid around people, both Riz’s hiding among the fray, almost disappearing in their shadows. Both Kristen stood, Other Kristen with her question mark staff and her Kristen with her collapsible staff, held high in the air as they chanted. Twilight seemed to surround them as they murmured, and the soft light seemed to turn sickly as they kept at it. When they were finished, the light had condensed to a solid point of pulsing vile green light and shot almost too fast to see at Kalvaxas.

When it hit him, he staggered back, causing Ragh to scamper out of the way of his foot coming down heavy. He looked like he was going to be sick as he wavered for a bit. He looked almost ready to fall, but he shook it off and started forward again.

Ayda turned to her. “Do you believe this will work?”

“He has changed, but he’s still fundamentally human. We can do this.”

She smiled and held out her hand. Ayda took it and let her flames breathe, funneling her power into her counterpart and she funneled it back, a cycle of power that grew into a concentrated inferno and when Kalvaxas was so close as to be on top of them, they took off, flying directly at him, hands stretched out and the heat rolling off them in visible waves.

He grinned, opening his mouth to prepare a blast of blue fire, but they beat him to it. 

Together they unleashed their inferno down his throat, Ayda channeling every bit of rage and hate she had grown and harbored for this man over the past month. The flames muffled his scream, but the look of terror and pain on his face was almost cathartic enough that Ayda would let up.

Almost was not enough.

Distantly behind her, she heard someone exclaim in excitement and with a glance she saw something shining in Adaine’s hand. She turned to Other Adaine, said something, and hugged her. As Ayda and her friend drifted to the ground, Kalvaxas clutching his throat, ragged, gasping breaths piercing the air before he fell slowly to the ground with a thud so great it shook the buildings. 

Other Adaine messed with the watch and Ayda turned back to herself, several inches taller and hair made of flame and realized she would miss her. Ayda hadn’t been able to speak with her much being so busy, but she had been there when Ayda needed someone. When she had been so isolated from her friends and needed just one person with her.

Ayda grabbed her hand and sighed. “Thank you for everything.”

Other Ayda placed her forehead on Ayda’s and said, “That’s my line. You have saved us. One day I will find a way to repay you.” With that, she began to dissolve, floating away similar to the way Fig’s illusion has disappeared when Kalvaxas saw through it. She smiled and said as she vanished, “I’m glad to have met you.”

Soon enough, it was just them. Just the kids of this world in a lot of smoking warehouses and two unconscious, now human, men on the ground. 

Someone laughed. She wasn’t sure who it was, but it set her off in a fit of giggles that soon spread to everyone. Fig was the first one to tackle her in a hug and she squeezed back so hard she was afraid she would hurt Fig, but she couldn’t help it. Kristen and Tracker joined next as they all piled together in one long hug that didn’t last nearly long enough, but Riz pointed out that they should leave.

“Yeah,” Ayda said, wiping away tears she hadn’t realized she was shedding. “They bribed the police for twenty-hours, but they might break that after everything.”

“The van should be at the docks,” Gorgug said. “Where’s your car?”

“The Aguefort Academy of Vocation.” Ayda started to fall into a fit of snorts. “Adaine transported us here.”

There was a pause before the laughter started again, and Adaine had to calm everyone down and shoo them in the van’s direction. It was sitting at the very edge of the dock’s parking lot, thankfully untouched by the fight.

They fell in, almost wanting to just sit and rest, but knowing they couldn’t be on the scene when the police arrived. Gorgug drove to the Golden Garden Inn, the nine of them raggedly piling into one room, collapsing on the beds, floors, and chairs. Ayda held Fig close, and for the first in so long, Ayda relaxed into a deep and peaceful sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Ayda awoke to a stinging pain in her arm, the images of her dream lingering at the edges of her consciousness. She grimaced as sunlight fell over her face and rolled over, shifting her arm from under her. The throbbing slowly began to cease, and she started to sink back into sleep.

“Ayda!” Her father’s voice came muffled in through the door. “I thought you were going early to the library today.”

Ayda let out a deep sigh and opened her eyes. The sun was streaming in, but she laid in bed for a few minutes before throwing her comforter back and sitting up, careful of her arm.

In the month since their doubles had been sent back to their own world, everyone else had returned to Elmville. From what Adaine and Fig had told her, they weren’t technically in trouble, but Sandra Lynn had watched the news, put two and two together, and talked to their parents about limiting their comings and goings. Even with their limited movement, Fig was still going on tour with everyone and Ayda was going to come with them.

The broadcast that Sandra Lynn had caught wind of was the arrest of Nicholas Goldenhoard and Captain James Whitclaw. Whitclaw had been up to every shady deal and illegal activity one could think of up to and including hiring hitmen to take out any competition or just anyone he didn’t care for. Kalvaxas, of course, had been up to his old habits of extorting, scamming, tax fraud, and a myriad of other things. Penelope Everpetal, the woman at the tarot shop, had been arrested as a conspirator and accessory to his crimes.

Ayda and her friends, _of course_ , had nothing to do with the anonymous tip that came by way of a USB drive to the local police department.

Ayda hauled herself out of bed and got dressed, careful to not touch her tattoos too much. She had never thought much in the way of tattoos, but after seeing the other Ayda’s glowing and vibrant runes, Ayda wanted some of her own, and Garthy was more than happy to do them. Of course, payment was telling them what Ayda had been doing working for Kalvaxas. She told as much of the truth as possible with none of the fantastical parts (Other Arthur had spun an elaborate illusion to cover their tracks after time traveling to prevent any paradoxes), and Garthy was more than ready to get rid of Kalvaxas and Whitclaw themself if the police did nothing about them.

She jogged downstairs and hugged her dad before she left. Though now he was fine and there was no one threatening him, Ayda always took the time to stop and sit with him whenever possible. He kissed her forehead and wished her luck as she tossed her duffel bag into the car and headed out. She had already told Rawlins that she’d be gone for the next month and a half, but she wanted to go in early to say her goodbyes.

It was odd, to say the least. She had never given most of the people who worked at the library much thought. They were just her coworkers, after all. But after everything that had happened that summer, she had gained an appreciation for them. Perhaps Rawlins wasn’t the fastest moving, but he was dedicated. And perhaps Alistair was loud and a little obnoxious, but he was earnest in all his pursuits. And the summer reminded her they didn’t have forever. The connections they had were important, even if they were small, and she wanted to do her best to honor them.

Rawlins was setting up the desk when she walked in, humming something to himself and straightening out the trinkets he kept. He looked up and saw her, a smile breaking out. “Ayda, my dear. I thought you were leaving today.”

“I was. I am. I just wanted to say goodbye before I went and ask if you would a souvenir from the tour.”

“A souvenir, huh? Perhaps a book from one of the cities, if you can. One we don’t have in the library.”

Ayda smiled. “I will do my best to find one. Do you know if Alistair would want something?”

“I’m not sure. He hasn’t been around the last few days, but if he shows up, I’ll be sure to tell you.”

“Thank you, Rawlins.”

“Anytime, Ayda. And have fun on the tour.”

He waved at her as she left, the sun steadily rising into the sky, and she saw white for a moment. A flash of orange and gold wings and a mohawk of flame, and then it was gone. She smiled. Those flashes had been coming more and more as the other Ayda had been trying to contact her, though it came through best in dreams. She looked forward to the day she could talk to her again.

Her phone buzzed, and a text popped up on her screen.

_hey, girl!_

_are you on the road yet?_

_Not yet, but I will be soon._

_looking forward to seeing you again <3_

_I can’t wait to see you._

Ayda grinned, her face flushing red. She had been right about this summer. Perhaps she had been lonely and perhaps it had been scary, but she had met people her age. She had met some of the coolest people her age and amazingly, wonderfully, they had wanted to be her friends. It had been a good summer. It had been a _brilliant_ summer. And the rest of the year, with her friends, would continue to be. She was sure of it.

Ayda stretched, got into her car, turned on the radio, and started driving to her next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Five months, one week, one day.
> 
> That’s how long I took to write and finish this. I don’t think I’ve ever spent this long working on a fic before, but it was entirely worth it. I don’t even know what to say but thank you. Thank you to everyone who was here when I first started posting. Thank you to everyone who only read one chapter. Thank you to everyone who’s read every chapter. Thank you to everyone who may read this one or three or five years from now.
> 
> Just. Thank you.


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